X-Men Series: Jubilation Lee
by Samurai Au Grimmus
Summary: Jubilation Lee is yanked out of her chaotic life and thrust into a world where as a mutant, she has to decide who she wants to be while struggling to reconcile with her past. A twist on a few characters I love, and an ode to my favorite poster child of parenting, Wolverine.
1. Enrollment

1.

It was hot. Stifling. The sun was absurdly bright that afternoon, and seated right beneath it was a young woman, draped in a dark peacoat not fit for the season, large framed sunglasses hiding her face, and short cropped black hair standing out wild on her head. She was also barefoot.

Anyone else would have looked a complete mess. But the hand resting on her hip, an arm draped across her lap, and the knee over knee poise made her likely a model on a fashion magazine spread.

She shifted uncomfortably on the stone bench beneath her. It hadn't been more than an hour in this place and she couldn't wait to leave. She was exhausted, itchy and sweaty beneath her coat, and nursing a bruised shoulder. Getting here had been a pain, literally.

Behind dark lenses, brown eyes took in the view. It was a campus of some kind, built on brown stone. It had to be a private school - she had been eyeballed by a bunch of kids lugging books and back packs while getting ushered in.

Well, that was a way of putting it. Ushered in. She was dragged here. Right out of the sleezy comfort she found in LA. She should've just kept her head down. Shouldn't have tried to help.

Now she's stuck, on the other side of the country, and it's suddenly very likely she's about to get enrolled into private school. Another institution for another stray.

A muscle twitched in her jaw.

Whatever.

"You look like someone took a shit on you," came a deep, rumbling voice.

She didn't spare a glance. "That's because someone did, obviously."

A short, burly shape stepped in front of her, giving her a moment's relief from the blazing sun.

"Don't you wanna change out of that?"

She scowled, "You're literally wearing two layers of flannel and wool socks."

She looked up at him then, as he came into focus. Tousled, ink black hair framed a square face, every line of it hard and rough. The knuckles on her left hand can attest to that. She clenched it as she stared directly into those glittering dark eyes of his.

"You're dumping me here."

"That's not what ..."

"Don't lie!"

The sharpness of her tone took them both by surprise.

Her mouth twisted as she looked away.

"You'll stay here."

She closed her eyes, willing back the burn of tears. Fuck this.

"I'll be here. I ain't abandoning you. Not now, not ever. You hear me?"

He was quiet as he spoke, but the resolve was there. Iron clad. She glanced at him, and saw the vulnerability in his face that made her step out on the sidewalk that night and into his life.

Her gut twisted, thinking of a home she could never go back to. Was she really trying to make a new one, now?

"Look at me." The air around them suddenly shifted. When she met his eyes, they blazed with something else. She wouldn't be able to place it until much later, when she would find herself at the edge again, and he was the only thing keeping her from falling into that abyss.

"Stay, and I'll give you the revenge you been looking for."

She sat up then. Rigid with an energy not unlike the sparks that flew from her fingers.

"What did you say?" She almost growled. "Say it again."

"That's the deal. And it stays between you and me because they won't understand what happened to you."

She stands, a head taller than him but half his size. "I don't know anything about you, this place, or what's happening to me." Her tongue pressed against her teeth. "You don't know me either."

His gaze narrowed. "I recognize what you really are," she scowled. "You're on a long road to being like me - and you don't want that. So I'll do everything I can to keep you off it."

"You'll let me do it, in the end? You won't stop me?"

His expression broke then. A smile, which looked terrifying because it had no business being on that face, made Jubilation Lee dread his next words.

"Darlin', if you become Death itself I won't stop you." His smile softened, "I just can't promise it'll turn out all good, in the end."

She was about to counter him when he waved the conversation off with a massive hand. "It's done. Now let's get going. I got work to do and you gotta get settled in."

Jubilee fell in step with him as he stalked off. "So what, I go to class, get good grades, and you reward me with revenge?"

"No, you go to school, get good grades, and try not to burn the whole thing to the ground."

"What do they even teach here?"

He glanced at her, "Everything. It's a good school. Even for a smart ass like you."

"What are the kids like?"

"Like you. Like me. Different. Gifted. A lot of them don't have homes to go back to. A lot of them are alone."

"That sounds so attractive, great selling point."

"They all need this place, and each other."

"Still sounds like every other institution I got thrown into."

"Maybe, but we have a pool."

She rolled her eyes. This was actually happening and she was actually allowing it. "When do I start?"

"Tomorrow -- "

"-- But tomorrow is Saturday --"

"Today, you get to meet your roommates."

Jubilee came to a grinding halt. "You never said anything about roommates."

He kept walking, a deep laugh booming from his chest. "Oh you'll like this bunch. Trust me."


	2. Orientation

2.

The room was made for four inhabitants. Jubilee walked in and found just one.

She sat with her legs tucked beneath her, dressed in a black wool turtle neck sweater and maroon leggings despite the heat outside. The only thing bare were her hands and face. When Jubilee entered she didn't even look up from the book she was reading.

Jazz music streamed from a speaker on a desk, cluttered with school materials and books. A simple lamp clung to dear life at the edge.

While the girl had the entire space to herself, she really only filled the corner where her bed sat. The other beds, desks, and walls were left barren and clean. Books stacked along the windowsill were the only exception. Jubilee wondered if she had just moved in.

"Look alive, kiddo."

At the sound of his voice, she looked up. Jubilee felt a jolt of recognition. Those eyes.

The heat of a car on fire, ash raining down from the sky, the thunderous clap of a giant metal limb slamming into the pavement next to her.

And a girl. With those eyes. Cold hands, cold as ice, burning, touching her face - and then darkness.

"Nooooooope."

Jubilee turned and smacked into the wall of the man behind her.

"What's the matter with ya -"

"I remember her - she was there," she snarled.

Jubilee had woken up face down on the floor of a jet heading to New York, with almost No memory of how she got there. She did not want to relive the agony of that hangover.

Those bear claws for hands grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her back around.

"She has a name. It's Marie. And Marie here wouldn't have had to use excessive force if you hadn't been so damn stubborn back there."

"Excessive force?!"

"Doc said it - two whole hands to your face. You tried to overpower each other. Damned sight I ever saw. You should be dead, Jubes."

She was taken out of her panic by the abrupt use of the nickname, looking back at him in disgust. "What'd you call me?"

"There ya go, already adjusting. Apologies, Marie, but you need a proper introduction. This is Jubilation."

Her brown eyes moved from the man to Jubilee, and stayed there. Jubilee shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, hands clenching and un-clenching at her sides.

She swallowed, meeting the girl's eyes.

"Hey."

"Hello." Her voice had a sweet, husky sound to it.

"What ya reading, darlin'?"

"Shakespeare," the girl replied, her eyes not leaving Jubilee's. "It's for class. Honest." Jubilee frowned slightly at the southern accent.

"Good, I'm glad. They letting you back on your other courses?"

At the question, the girl turned her gaze to the man. "Little by little, I guess."

"Oh. Good." It was his turn to shuffle nervously.

Oh god this is so awkward. Every muscle in Jubilee's body wanted to flee - her mind was already weaving an escape back through those winding hallways and into the garage and hop on that motorbike she spotted while coming off the jet. She couldn't be expected to just do this.

"Well. There's a drawer with some new clothes, I had one of the girls pick out some in your size." He turned on his heel to go.

"Wait - that's it?" Jubilee hissed.

The man paused, his expression incredulous. "Yeah." He was gone.

Jubilee stared after him, mouth slightly ajar.

"Where are your shoes?"

Jubilee felt her body sag. "I lost them."

"You smell like a fireplace."

"Should I open a window?" She turned, casting the girl a glare.

The girl had gone back to her reading. "Too hot for that. I'd throw the whole outfit in the trash."

Jubilee couldn't disagree, and trudged to a bed. A hand nimbly undid the buttons of the coat while another snatched off the sunglasses and tossed them on a nightstand nearby.

Normally she shrugged out of her jackets and coats. But as the cool air hit the abrasions on her skin, she hissed as she carefully peeled the coat away. Underneath she was clad in nothing more than a yellow crop top and blue leggings. Everything was in near tatters. She let the coat fall to a heap on the floor.

Behind her, a small gasp.

Jubilee cast the girl a withering glance before walking up to a tall mirror against a wall. Her shoulder had been shoved back into place, and the bare skin was turning from a dark purple into a sickly yellow. Her forearms were still raw from being thrown from a motorbike and skidding across an icy street. Somewhere along the way in the last 48 hours they had made a pit stop in Alaska. She turned slightly, sighing as other bruises bloomed across her back. Fingers trembling with dread gently peeled back the waist of her leggings, and she scowled at the road rash and bruising on her hip.

Yeah. It was rough getting here. If she hadn't been a gymnast most of her life she would be in much worse shape.

She peered closely at her face, relieved that it was mostly untouched, minus the small cut above her temple. Bags were forming under her almond shaped eyes, the hollows of her cheeks deep. She shuddered at memory of that icy touch sending her spiraling into darkness. She needed sleep. She needed food.

"If it means anything, I'm sorry."

Jubilee turned from the mirror and finally looked at the girl. Marie had sat forward, the book she had been reading forgotten. Her fingers absently picked at the wool of her turtleneck sweater.

All Jubilee could remember were those hands, but she was baffled that she couldn't remember that face. It reminded her of Egyptian busts of queens. She belonged on the cover of Vogue, with dark skin that practically glowed. Massive, thick black curls, cropped short, framed those regal, yet delicate features.

"Did they put you here to keep me in check or something?"

Marie tilted her head slightly at the question. "Put me here? I've always been in this room."

Jubilee sharply looked around again. "This whole room was yours?"

Marie nodded. "I don't like to take up more space than I should. It's impolite, you know?"

"You didn't really answer my question."

"Which part?"

"The part about you using those hands to put me in a coma every time I act up."

"Do you act up a lot?"

"I do what I want, is that the same thing?"

Marie shrugged, "They just told me this morning that I would have roommates. That it would be you." She bit her lip, sizing up Jubilee again. "I told them that it might not be a good idea. Professor X seemed to disagree."

Jubilee frowned, "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?"

Marie looked away, "Because of what I did to you. It's complicated."

"Okay, you made me pass out, big deal, clearly I'm fine."

"I said it's complicated," Marie insisted, her voice thick with loathing.

Jubilee paused, "Dude, did you give me cancer?"

Marie was so startled it almost made Jubilee smile, "What? NO! No." She rushed to explain. "Most people don't get back up like you did. Sorry, again. But it's like that with everyone. I'm still trying to control how much I take. And what it does to me."

This was getting more awkward by the minute and Jubilee was mentally double checking her escape plan.

Marie scooted forward on the mattress, her eyes taking on a strange intensity that made Jubilee tense. "It's hard for me to imagine but...What did you feel?"

Jubilee hesitated. That night was painful for a lot of reasons. "Ummm...like I was sitting in an ice bath. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Everything went in and out of focus. There's some stuff I couldn't remember when I woke up, like temporary gaps." Despite herself, she laughed, pretending to be interested in the bruises and cuts on her knuckles. "It totally sucked."

Marie cast her gaze to her hands, clasping them together tightly.

"Are you like a vampire or something?"

Marie actually chuckled. "No. Could be a better alternative though."

"I don't understand."

"It's hard to explain."

"Show me."

Marie stared at her, guilt in her expression. "Don't be mad."

"Why would I..."

Jubilee watched as Marie opened her hands, and held a bloom of energy.

Sparks.

Her words died in her throat.

"It's like I take a piece of what you have, and it stays with me," Marie's gaze was distant. "Not for long. Not forever. But it's the memories that don't go with them."

Jubilee blinked. "Memories?"

The sparks faded, and Marie took a deep, trembling breath. She nodded slowly. "The Professor thought we might need to help each other...decompress."

Jubilee's expression hardened. "What do you mean by memories?"

Before Marie could reply, there was a knock on the door.

It swung open, and a small, petite girl strode in with a smile and a suitcase.

"Sorry I'm late! I had to cross the whole campus to get here, I hope I didn't miss out on choosing a bed. I'm Kitty Pryde!"

Jubilee and Marie didn't even look.

The girl paused, finally reading the tension, already back peddling, "Maybe this is the wrong room?"

"It's fine," Marie replied softly. "You're in the right place." Her expression became neutral as she tore her eyes away from Jubilee. When they found Kitty, the young girl became stiff.

"Hey, Marie."

"Are you going to babysit us?" Marie drawled.

The small exchange was enough to pull Jubilee out of the storm swirling in her head.

Kitty scowled, "No, and I wouldn't if they asked me."

"I don't see why you're here, then."

Jubilee took in their new arrival. She was a small thing, about a head shorter, shoulder length brunette hair,and looked like she walked out of an Abercrombie ad. She screamed, All-American cheerleader with that stance.

Yes, this was the Top Girl.

Kitty huffed, "Hey, I said yes to this arrangement, okay? No one forced me here."

"Again, still don't know why you're here."

"Because," a voice behind Kitty was followed by the entrance of the most beautiful woman Jubilee had ever seen in her whole damn life.

She towered over Kitty, broad shouldered and elegant in her simple navy blue pants suit. Jubilee never thought anyone could pull off a pantsuit but this goddess clearly proved her very wrong.

The most startling of her appearance was her hair. It was white. It sprung from her scalp in long waves, sprawling down her back and shoulders, a contrast to her dark skin.

She peered at the three young women with bright, icy blue eyes. "I am tasked with building teams of three," her voice was deep and sounded like how velvet feels. "You're slated to be one of the strongest combinations based on skill and abilities."

She gave Kitty the slightest nod, smiled at Marie, and when her eyes landed on Jubilee, her expression became unreadable.

"You must be Jubilation."

"I am."

"Logan made an impressive case to enroll you in this school."

"I guess I made an impression."

"We've yet to see that."

Jubilee felt herself sour at the words. "So you're like our teacher counselor or something?"

"My name is Ororo. I am one of the Professors here. You'll be in my classes."

"Professor," Jubilee recognized the brown nosing tone in Kitty's voice and suppressed an ugly scowl. "Is there any other reason why we were grouped? I was the only one reassigned from my last team."

"And I was never placed in a 'group,'" Marie said that last word with some disdain.

"And I have no idea what any of this means," Jubilee chimed in.

Ororo shrugged. "Logan requested the exchange. You can take up your inquiry with him."

"Logan?" Their voices rang out in unison.

Amusement brightened Ororo's face. She raised a brow at Jubilee, "Do your best to clean up. I'd like to see you in my office shortly." She exited with a small wave to the other girls.

Kitty finally looked Jubilee up and down. "What happened to you?"

Jubilee half walked, half jogged down the long hallway, zipping up a slightly oversized hoodie as she avoided the curious gazes of other students.

Whispers followed her as she turned sharply into a corridor, noting the "Offices" sign that Kitty had mentioned.

Running nervous hands through her damp hair, she paused to take a breath.

Her shower had been quick, but filled with growling and cursing as the water felt like a swarm of bees against her battered body. She gritted her teeth while pulling on the clothes she had on now.

She tried not to think about Marie's eyes following her the whole time.

This was happening too fast. Yesterday she was on the west coast, homeless and scraping by doing street tricks, today she's a student enrolled in some kind of private school for mutants.

For mutants! The country was losing its mind as thousands of people were being outed by their friends, family, and neighbors. That thought stung Jubilee. Her own friends. What she had thought to be a new family. They completely abandoned her to be scooped up by a giant robot thing and right now the only person in the world who seems to have her back was a giant hairy man with metal claws.

She just met that dude. Like the other day.

And now she has roommates. Two of them.

Jubilee sighed and knocked on the door.

When it opened, Jubilee's sullen expression screwed into confusion. A young woman with red hair and the greenest eyes Jubilee had ever seen stood in the doorway.

She took a step back, "Uh, wrong office?"

The girl offered a strained smile. "Not at all, the Professor was expecting you."

They seemed to both have a moment, their gazes quickly sizing each other up.

If Kitty was head cheerleader, this girl was valedictorian, first in her class, queen bitch of the school.

Jubilee could spot the type from a mile away. She couldn't help the sneer pulling itself across her face.

The girl regarded her with narrow eyes then, suddenly very intense. Jubilee frowned.

She stepped back, pushing the door open. Jubilee took a step in, giving herself some distance from the girl, rolling the tension out of her shoulders.

Ororo sat at a simple desk with a glass top. Paperwork and a silver portable computer sat on the surface. She stood as Jubilee entered, gesturing to one of the chairs across from her. "If you'll please."

Jubilee sank into the plush leather, wincing.

Ororo noted the reaction, "A few bumps and bruises getting here, I see."

"Yeah."

Ororo took her seat, and looked up at the red head. "Jean, that will be all, thank you."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Professor."

When the door closed, neither spoke. Ororo was quickly sifting through folders until she found the one she needed, and turned to her laptop to enter a few keystrokes.

Jubilee allowed herself to glance around the room. She supposed if you could order a professor's office out of an IKEA catalog, this would be one of them. It was minimal, one wall was dedicated to shelves lined with books. Behind Ororo was an arched window with a view of the school grounds. It was a big place. On the other wall were dozens of hanging objects - the kind of stuff you saw in museums. African art, tribal masks, even photographs. There were a few certificates, highlighting academic achievements.

"Are these from your home?"

Ororo nodded, still typing away. "I've called more than one tribe my own. Home is a subjective term for me."

"Makes sense."

"I called you to my office for a private conversation regarding your enrollment."

"Sure."

"Logan gave us as much detail as possible about where you're from, what's happened to you, and that fills in the many gaps of your public record. Tested high in state exams, Star athlete with a strong candidacy for the Olympics, recently homeless, and an arrest record for theft and public disturbance."

"Glad they omitted that prostitution charge."

Ororo didn't even blink, ignoring the joke. "Your temporary placement in child services pushed you into five different homes."

"Uh-huh." Jubilee was used to this - the offices, the counselors and cops and all of the conversations that revolve around being a ward of the state. Another number, another statistic

"This information helps me provide the support that you may need here."

"Okay."

"Your parents were murdered."

The corner of Jubilee's mouth twitched.

Ororo gauged the reaction carefully. "This is a safe space, Jubilation."

"Okay." Jubilee was impressed with her own composure. But she clung to Logan's words with everything she had. She pushed out the images flashing in her mind that haunted her sleep.

Ororo nodded, accepting defeat on the topic, picking up a sheet of paperwork. "Blood work came back with regular results..."

Jubilee started, "When did you take my blood?!"

Ororo raised a brow, "Your prolonged contact with Marie raised a great deal of alarm. Medical treatment had started on the jet before they realized you wouldn't die."

Jubilee scowled, "Without my permission?"

Ororo shrugged, "Logan was very determined to keep you alive. And to be clear, we have no interest in losing lives we can save."

"What is it exactly that goes on here?"

Ororo turned, giving her full attention to Jubilee. "I'm sure you've realized we're not just a school, a haven for young mutants."

"Right. You're also the X-Men."

"Yes."

"So the X-Men pluck me out of LA, my home city, and keep me here as one of their many young recruits to become a soldier for mutant freedom and all that stuff."

"No. You have choices."

"I don't see how."

"I'm sure you've spent the last few years without choices. You're at the legal age to do as you please. We don't have to keep you here, but Logan was adamant about this. If you do stay here, we can provide schooling and training. If you're not interested in our facility, you can go."

"I can go."

"That's right."

"Like right now."

"I cannot stop you."

"Like just leave."

"Mmm."

Jubilee stared at her. "And so if I stay..."

"Are you saying you will remain with us."

"If I stay what do I do."

"Again, the choice is yours. You dropped out of school, and off the planet for that matter, so you have the right to complete your education."

"Beyond that?"

"What is it that you want, Jubilation?"

Jubilee sat back, shrugging. "Trying to see what my options are - since I'm officially outed as a mutant I guess that limits my chances for a normal life."

"Nothing will ever be normal again. And I agree. There are many things happening in the world, and we're at the edge of another change. Mutants are at the center of it all."

Jubilee chewed the inside of her cheek. "I'll stay, for now."

Ororo stared at her.

"Is...that okay?"

"What did he promise you?"

Jubilee blinked, "Who?"

"Logan. What did he promise you?"

She shrugged, "Just to give me a safe place. Help me get on my feet."

Ororo's gaze was penetrating. "Logan is not known to bring home strays. The last time he did this, Marie was enrolled under similar circumstances."

"Do you mean he has a thing for snatching underaged women from their homes?"

"Yes, actually."

Jubilee paused, genuinely taken aback. The fuck? "Well that's interesting."

Ororo sat back in her chair, giving the her a once over, "I hope this was not a mistake, Jubilation. We have strict policies you may not take well to. If you do anything to disrupt the work we are doing here, I will not allow you to stay."

"Go to school, get good grades, don't burn the place down," Jubilee recited the promise given to her earlier. "How hard is that going to really be?"


	3. Adjusting

This wasn't hard. This was impossible.

Jubilee kicked open the door to her shared room, hauling a gym bag and school books inside. Two steps in and she dumped everything to the floor, staggering to the nearest bed where she collapsed.

She decided that she hated this place.

"It's like 11am, it's too early to be that tired."

Jubilee had grown accustomed to Kitty's matter of fact approach to absolutely everything, and was content to ignore her.

Lifting her head from the mattress, she found the girl at her desk, finishing up a paper on a laptop. Unlike Marie's organized chaos, Kitty's space was immaculate. Predictable. Everything had a place and position. Jubilee had taken to occasionally shifting her pencils or notebooks for the payoff of watching the girl have a small meltdown each time.

Jubilee's space, to her own surprise, was minimal at best. From losing everything you had, to scrapping with other girls over your underwear at another foster home, to just having nothing but what you could carry in your hands, Jubilee learned to keep the necessities.

Her desk betrayed nothing, except a student with a ridiculous workload. She didn't even want to look at the open text books with highlighted sections or the stack of notes and assignments she has to finish.

She gave Kitty a once over. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, and she was dressed in gym clothes.

"Didn't you already have training?" Jubilee mumbled.

Kitty nodded, not sparing a glance. "I have an extra session after my next class."

Jubilee rolled her eyes. Kitty's determination to be The Best There Ever Was had run it's course of amusement, and now it was just annoying.

"Did you finish the notes for Professor X's class?"

Jubilee mumbled in reply.

"Great, I left my notes from McCoy's class on your desk, just leave X's notes on mine. Kay?"

Jubilee grumbled in reply.

Six weeks had crawled by, each day crammed with classes and homework and training - this was far worse than any schooling Jubilee ever endured. If Kitty hadn't been so damn persistent about partnering with her to keep up with the rigorous schedule, Jubilee would have let the girl flail in their shared courses.

Classes consisted of various sciences, maths, and history - each of which she managed with ease. Learning had never been an issue for her - there was just so much of it everyday. Quizzes, exams, projects, labs, papers - one after another, after another, after another.

She only had four professors - including Ororo, who had dumped half a year's worth of school work as preparation for her class. Therefore, Jubilee despised the woman. And anything to do with social sciences and history.

Like, who really needed to dissect the problematic structure of politics in South Africa?

And one of her Professors was a huge blue cat. Huge. Built like a line backer and fuzzy all over. With cat ears. Jubilee spent her first conversation with him just staring. He taught every kind of science imaginable - and beyond. Biology, chemistry, physics, theoretical something else - it went on and on and Jubilee was already at the point where she never wanted to look at another molecule structure for the rest of her life.

Professor X was hardly ever in his own classes. Wheel chair guy with the bald head was the most elusive person she'd met. To everyone on this campus he was some kind of celebrity. Kitty tried to shove a video clip of a TedTalk with the guy and Jubilee had just propped up a textbook against the computer screen instead. Any time she saw him, he was always on his way somewhere, flanked by another professor or one of the upper class men - particularly the red head. Often, if not Ororo or the giant cat, she would sub for his class. If there wasn't such a strict attendance policy, Jubilee would skip as much as she can. She hated being in the same room with her.

Unlike Professor X, SHE was everywhere. Jubilee was tired of looking up and finding the girl staring at her from across the hall or some doorway. It was giving Jubilee headaches.

Last was Logan. So far, he had kept his promise to stay on campus. To the surprise of other students, apparently. Of the entire staff, he was typically the most absent. But his presence only caused everyone to dread HIS class.

He was in charge of training. Unlike any public school she had ever been to, it involved obstacle courses, martial arts, weight training, and extensive team building. At least, that's what he told her. Since she started, he had separated Jubilee from the other kids, having her run drills for the entire session. The rest were ushered into some kind of gymnasium while she remained in an open training room. She didn't mind though. If anything, it was kind of like home - like the gyms during her Olympian days. The familiarity of weight machines, stationary bikes, and double bars were the only things helping her adjust. And it was the only time she was ever really left alone. Meanwhile, students like Kitty complained regularly about how brutal Logan was.

Kitty made a few clicks on her lap top, closed it, and jumped to her feet, scooping up a bag and a pair of shoes. She paused to look over Jubilee.

"Did you even eat?"

Jubilee started, "Food?"

Kitty rolled her eyes, marching toward the door, "Where do you put away all that crap? You eat like a hippo."

Jubilee was already scrambling to her feet, the prospect of raiding that kitchen dulled the ache of exhaustion.

"This incredibly sexy fighting machine I have for a body is very high maintenance," Jubilee shoved past Kitty through the doorway, making a sprint for the kitchen. "I also shit regularly!"

"Hey! The notes!"

Kitty received a shout and a wave and watched Jubilee disappear around a corner.

The mess hall was already buzzing with students eating late breakfasts or early lunches, tables crowded with food and school work.

Jubilee immediately darted to the left side of the vast room, walking parallel to the wall as she made a b-line for the kitchen doors.

Kids still stared at her and whispered when she walked by. Jubilee paid no mind. She wasn't here to make friends.

Kitty, despite her best efforts, was hardly a friend. Jubilee's relationship with her was at most a fragile alliance.

Marie, on the other hand.

Jubilee shoved the kitchen door open, already scheming what she would throw into her omelette, and came to a hard stop.

There, sitting on the marble counter eating a bowl of cereal in her pajamas, hair standing out at odd angles, and regarding her with a sleepy expression, was Marie.

Jubilee couldn't stop the frustrated sigh as she felt all the joy leave her, only to be replaced by full blown anxiety.

The two had worked extremely hard to avoid one another, and never remained alone in the same room. After Kitty's arrival, they never revisited that conversation. Jubilee had decided she didn't want to explore what else Marie had picked up from their contact, and hoped the girl wouldn't want to either.

But the moment they discovered the tension between them - a strange, shared silence where they did not break eye contact, which happened the last time they both reached for a dinner roll in the mess - there was an unspoken agreement to not let it happen again.

And then there were the weird things that Marie did. The gestures. The things she said. The way she walked. What she laughed at. Her sudden change in color wardrobe. No one else noticed but Jubilee.

How she was dealing with it was stupid, immature, and clearly getting worse, but Jubilee didn't want to talk about it. She didn't. Oh god, she didn't.

Marie was the first to look away, interested only in consuming her breakfast.

Jubilee huffed, marching towards the fridge and throwing it open, immediately getting to work gathering her ingredients.

She was going to make the most delicious omelette ever. It was going to destroy all omelettes ever made. Nothing would ever compare -

"You're out of egg whites."

Jubilee froze, her hand already reaching for that drawer. She had just pulled the onions, peppers, tomatoes, and a loaf of sliced bread.

How could she have known? Jubilee never made her regular meals in front of Marie. With her mouth twisting into a snarl, she yanked the drawer open and cursed loudly.

They were out of egg whites. They in fact, had no eggs.

Jubilee slammed the fridge closed. Whatever, it was a good guess. Everyone has eggs for breakfast. Clearly they did because there were none left. Fine.

She had just put her hand on the freezer door when Marie spoke again.

"Toaster strudels. No Eggos this week."

What the fuck.

"Who does the grocery shopping for this place? Don't they know how many people need to eat?"

These were not the questions Jubilee wanted to ask. She stifled a groan as she pressed her forehead to the cool surface of the refrigerator door.

"I hid a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the cupboard."

That did it.

"How do you know that?"

Marie stopped mid-chew, glancing at Jubilee, who pushed herself away from the fridge, frowning, angry.

"Don't play dumb. Answer the question."

"Can you be more specific?"

"What the f - everything! How do you know everything? How do you know what I like for breakfast? How did you know I like that one part of that Taylor Swift song but not the other? Why do you say the things out loud that I think of in my head? Who told you what incense I like? How is it that you know what to give me before I even ask for it?"

In her anger, she had moved closer and closer to Marie, until she was standing right in front of her, looking up at her bewildered face.

"What did you see when you touched me?"

It had been the one question burning in her mind since Marie admitted to taking more than a sample of her power when they had touched.

Marie lowered the bowl she held in her hands, biting her lip.

"I saw you on the mats the other night."

Jubilee couldn't sleep, and had gotten up to burn the energy in the training room. She had trudged up to the door, and froze. There, tumbling and flipping and flying across the floor with precision and ease, was Marie.

It would have been easy for Jubilee to dismiss the sight - anyone could do a cartwheel or a backflip.

But it was a specific routine. And it wasn't just ordinary tumbling. Olympians could only do that kind of work. And Jubilee knew those moves, down to the count. They were hers.

"Tell me what you saw, Marie."

The girl had held Jubilee's glare, and her mouth twisted into a snarl.

"Ask me a question."

Jubilee scowled. "What?"

"Ask. Me. A question."

It took Jubilee a moment to process the command.

"What's my favorite color."

"Blue."

No hesitation. She almost answered before Jubilee could finish the question.

"Where was I born - "

"Santa Monica, Mount Sinai Hospital," Marie pursed her lips. "Don't make this easy for me."

Jubilee felt the anger twisting in her gut. "My twelfth birthday -"

"You climbed a rotted railing on the pier and fell into the ocean. The current took you so far out you couldn't swim back to shore. A surfer caught you. His name was Gil."

Jubilee gaped at Marie as if she grew a third head. Not a second. A third.

"You lost the stuffed unicorn you won at one of the booths. He showed up to the hospital after winning another one for you."

"You -"

"Your mother -"

"Stop."

Jubilee had only breathed the word. But Marie fell silent. And waited.

She was standing between Marie's knees, hands on either side of her, clinging to the edge of the counter.

She was shaking.

"The ocean was so blue that day. That's why you climbed onto the railing. You liked the smell. The wind in your hair. The fall ruined your favorite jean jacket. The one with the cartoon buttons. Bugs Bunny."

She had never told anyone that story. It was during the summer, before school, and no one ever knew what had happened. And she kept that stupid unicorn. She named it

"Gil. You named the unicorn Gil."

Jubilee almost didn't notice Marie slip down from the counter and wrap her arms around her neck. The embrace was so warm and soft, she couldn't pull from it. She couldn't remember someone holding her like this. Had it been so long?

"I really liked that jacket," Jubilee whispered.

"I know."

"I bet you hate hugging."

"I really do."

"Glad I could be an exception."

"Want some cereal?"

"I do."

A beat passed.

"By the way I loved cinnamon toast crunch before we met."

"Oh thank God."


	4. Best In Class

Jubilee couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Another month had passed, and she had built a strong routine - wake up, gym, classes, gym, classes, study, sleep, repeat.

Her moment with Marie in the kitchen had solidified a strange bond. It seemed like the more time they spent together, the more she picked up things from her - rather than the girl emulating everything about Jubilee.

They exchanged tastes in music, books, movies - though Jubilee couldn't grapple with some of Marie's southern sensibilities. And having weird metaphors about farming for everything.

"I grew up in a small town," she defended once. "Lots of country."

"So every farmer is a poet with terrible metaphors about chickens."

"I didn't say anything about a chicken and I'm not a farmer."

"You just compared this assignment to hens," Jubilee had insisted. "You did that. Like just now. You don't even realize how you sound sometimes."

Marie talked endlessly about art, and laughed a lot, the latter a surprise to Jubilee. She wasn't the only one. Other students would look on in awe when they sat in the mess and Jubilee had her in near tears, giggling uncontrollably.

She gave Jubilee a book of poetry, and groaned regretfully when Jubilee would read the passages aloud as if it were a theatrical production.

"Poetry is dumb. Don't be mad at me," she had laughed.

"It is NOT dumb, you are so disrespectful."

"If I wanted poetry I would just listen to music."

"I don't think Malibu counts as quality literature."

"That album is pretty spot on about California living, I swear to God."

It was nice. Having someone. In foster homes most of the other kids would never warm up to her. Everyone was always hiding something. Shitty parents. No parents. Drugs. Mental illness. When you were too old to get adopted - because let's face it no one wants a young adult in their house when they could have a drooling baby or a rampaging three years old - everything was harder knowing no one wanted you.

Even when she finally ran away, and took a risk being homeless - the kids she ended up with didn't care much about anything. Just finding a place to sleep and where to get the next hot meal.

No one had come as close as Marie. Probably because she had nothing to hide from her.

Despite everything that had transpired in so short a time, she didn't know exactly how to feel about it.

"Could you pass -"

"Yeah."

Jubilee mumbled a thank you as Marie placed a stencil in her hand without looking. She sat on the floor with her back against Marie's bed, who was sprawled across the spread with books scattered about. Jubilee had two open in her lap and three more on the carpet in front of her. She made notations with the stencil and wordlessly held it up for Marie, who's hand was already waiting for it.

With her periodic absences, it turned out Marie had almost the same amount of catching up as Jubilee. Thankfully, she was equally as adept with the workload , and had a better knack for Ororo's class.

Jubilee glanced up at the growl behind her, as Marie crossed out her own notation.

"Why can't I absorb your math skills? I should be able to do math."

Marie glared as Jubilee laughed, "I gotta keep something's to myself."

"Can I check your notes?"

Jubilee surveyed her personal chaotic mess before snatching up a few sheets of paper and handing it over.

She smiled as Marie sighed. "Thank you. I'd be a mess without this."

"How'd you manage before?"

Marie grunted, "I didn't. I barely took class. I mostly got tutored by the professors in private when they could spare the time, did a lot of work on my own."

Jubilee frowned, "You're fine in class now."

"That's because I have you. Almost everyone here avoids me. A freak among freaks." Jubilee didn't like the sullen tone Marie had taken.

"I thought you just kept to yourself."

"At first I did. Took a while for them to warm up to me. Black girl from the south who didn't like to be touched was a hard work around. They thought I was too stuck up."

"What do you mean you're a bundle of joy."

Marie laughed. "Depends on the day of the week."

When silence followed, Jubilee looked back at Marie, who had rested her chin on her folded arms, her gaze distant, lost in a memory.

"One day, I touched Jean. It was an accident. During class. I had brushed the abilities of others, but...she's different. You're like, a river - your power just flows through you. But Jean - she's like a raging storm at sea."

Marie closed her eyes, pain screwing in her face. "It came crashing down on me, her power. I had never met a telepath - and suddenly I was in everyone's head. All at once. It's like when I touch people, but amplified by a million. And the worst part is, they felt me too."

"Fuck."

"Yeah," Marie took a trembling breath. "Fuck."

"Is that why you had to be tutored alone?"

Marie nodded, burrowing her chin into her arms. "It really sucked, being exposed like that. The professors helped a lot, even Jean too. They understood, though I think Jean just felt really guilty. Like we both carried terrible burdens with our powers."

Jubilee frowned, "I mean it can't be that serious for a telepath."

Marie looked at her, "No, she's different."

Before Jubilee could push the topic, Marie continued.

"Anyway, that's when the rumors started. How dangerous I am. No one was safe around me. All I wanted to do was steal abilities. I was a ticking time bomb. All that."

"Still a bundle of joy for me."

Marie smiled, "You're the first person not to freak out over what happened. Other than Logan, of course."

"What'd you see when you touch Logan?"

"Poor thing," was all Marie could say after a moment of thought.

"I guess it helps having someone who knows, but I don't have to talk about it. Like you were there with me. I'm sorry, it's so much," Jubilee turned, resting her chin on the edge of the bed.

Marie's eyes softened. "Don't ever be sorry."

"You have a lot of your own stuff too."

"Gee thanks for the reminder, I was enjoying the vacation from my own problems."

"I hate you."

"You know what's the worst?"

"Mmm."

"We're all freaks out there. But here, we're still divided. I'm not just a mutant. I'm a black woman too."

"Are we going to talk about Boom Boom, now?"

Marie glowered, "You haven't met her yet she's absolutely the worst."

Jubilee had heard stories of the girl who had taken upon herself to personally torment Marie. For all her power and cunning, this Boom Boom was not easy for her to ignore.

But like, honestly, who also calls themselves Boom Boom?

Marie was right, though. It was hard enough being a mutant - but even then, she stood out. She was still victimized for everything else about her existence. Jubilee tried not to let the anger simmer in her gut, and was surprised by how protective she had become of Marie.

"I'm sure we'll cross paths."

"Punch her for me."

"Why? You can just graze her arm with your pinky and she's done."

"I'm old fashioned."

"I knew it. You just want me around to be the muscle."

"You're also really good at math."

"Speaking of, isn't Kitty supposed to be back? She should've aced that quiz already."

Marie rolled her eyes, "Probably doing another session with Danger."

"Who's Danger, again?"

"You'll see soon enough, pretty girl."

Jubilee held up an empty bowl, "Well, we're out of food. Time to mingle with the normal people. I think the bag of chips we hid should still be there."

Marie groaned but rolled herself out of bed and onto her feet. She reached down and Jubilee grasped her covered forearm, pulling up to stand.

Contact became a normal thing for them - Jubilee insisted on it. Marie's aversion to touch had almost made it impossible for her to share seats at a table or materials or food. Jubilee had been keen to remove that invisible barrier between them. But they were cautious. Sleeves, shirt tails, pant legs - it seemed like nothing to Jubilee, but meant the world to Marie, who had starved herself of touch for so long.

"You know you could be normal too," Marie said as they walked out to the hallway.

"Why would I want that?"

Marie shrugged, wrapping a curl around her finger, pursing her lips. "At least you can touch people."

Jubilee tugged lightly on a curl, earning her a glare. "Don't believe the hype. Touching people isn't quite as amazing as you might think. Unless you mean like sex then yes but I'm not trying to have sex with everyone. Besides, no one likes me because I keep breaking the curve in every class."

"Can't you just sort of flunk a quiz on purpose?"

"What do you mean you pass just fine!"

"I just think you don't have to stick with me all the time."

Jubilee came to an abrupt halt, eyes going wide. Marie turned, not meeting her gaze. "Dude, take that back."

"This will fade, you know. It always does. Logan keeps his distance now. And Jean...she doesn't even look at me."

"You think I hang out with you because we basically swapped spit or something?"

"You don't have to be nice to me, Jubilee."

"Stop doing that. I don't ever want to hear you talk like this again. I always do what I want and I want to do homework with you and share food and beat up Boom Boom, okay? Nothing is forcing me to be here with you. I can do fine on my own."

"...I know."

"Then you know that I'm your friend because I want to be."

Marie looked at her then, her brown eyes wide and bright. "We're friends?"

"Oh my Fucking God - you are something else."

"You mean it?"

"You are an actual child. I'm not sharing the last of the cool ranch with you."

They made their way to the mess, talking about everything and nothing. It was something so familiar and good for Jubilee, who missed the simplicity of connecting with another person.

She didn't notice when she had trailed off mid conversation until Marie prodded her sharply with an elbow.

"What?"

"You just got really quiet and stopped walking."

"Huh?"

Marie stood in front of her, looking into her eyes. "Are you ok?"

Jubilee frowned, looking around. They were alone in the hallway, the entry to the mess just a few feet away.

She rubbed her jaw with a thumb, a frown screwing into her brow. "You ever get that feeling you're being watched?"

Marie stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno, like...goosebumps out of nowhere."

"Maybe you're getting hot flashes," Marie teased.

"No, dude. It's like there's someone standing behind me, reaching for me."

Marie's humor left her. "That's really scary, Jubilee."

"If there's a ghost behind me, you'd tell me, right?"

"Honestly, I'd take off running."

"I'm for sure not sharing these chips with you."

Marie pursed her lips, thinking. "Do you usually get this weird feeling? Even before you got your abilities?"

Jubilee rolled her shoulders, trying to undo the tension knitting itself there. "No. Like when I got here."

"Be more specific."

"Well...I guess after I started classes?"

Marie frowned, "It might be nothing."

Jubilee stared at her, "You don't actually think it's nothing, though."

Marie shook her head, her thick curls rippling with the movement. "Let's get food, c'mon."

The headache had started in the morning. Jubilee walked out of Ororo's class sullen and trying to dig out an eyeball with the knuckles of her hand. Marie absently tugged on Jubilee's arm by the sleeve of her sweater, while balancing a book in another. How she found time to read for leisure outside of their normal workload still baffled Jubilee.

"I almost had it," Jubilee grumbled, snatching her arm back.

"You mean you were close enough to touch your brain with a dirty finger nail?" Marie walked alongside her, not looking up from the open pages.

"First of all," Jubilee retorted as she blinked away the dark spots in her vision, "My nails are like really clean and also who gave you permission to stop me?"

"My math final depends on your life so there you have it," Marie replied sweetly, turning another page and ducking past students in the crowded corridor.

"God, my head is killing me."

"You should've passed on all the coffee last night."

"I had to cram, I don't have the patience for Ororo's class like you do."

"HEY!"

Marie shook her head, "I don't know what you mean, I think the socio-political atmosphere of southern China during chairman Mao's seat is a fascinating learn for even the most laymen of students."

"YOU GUYS!"

"This is why no one else wants to borrow your notes."

"Excuse me, sorry - HELLO!?"

"You know it's been a while since we really studied with Kitty, I kind of miss her nagging voice."

"SERIOUSLY LET ME BY!"

"Honestly it never really leaves my head, I feel like I hear her all the time when I leave the toothpaste without the cap."

"You really should cover it, Jubilee, it's little gross."

The girls almost jumped when a hand clamped down hard on both of their shoulders. They were spun around and came face to face with the head cheerleader herself, a panting, flustered, Kitty Pryde.

"I cannot believe you made me chase you across the school!"

They stared at her with mutual bewilderment.

She straightened, mumbling an apology to Marie about touching her, brushing hair back into that perfect ponytail. Kitty took a breath. "I'm guessing you guys didn't hear."

They continued to stare.

Kitty growled, "This thing you guys do is really creepy sometimes, you know that?"

"Sure," they replied in unison.

She sighed heavily, "Anyway, they just posted the latest Rankings!"

"Rankings for what?" Asked Jubilee.

Marie gave a humorless laugh, "Upper classmen get like an honor roll recognition from the staff." She shook her head, "Why do we care about that?"

Kitty's eyes were shining with excitement. "We're on the list!"

Jubilee looked back and forth between the girls - Kitty's sheer and terrifying triumphant glee and Marie's complete confusion - waiting for someone to speak.

"Anyone gonna tell me what the hell that means?"

Kitty seemed to deflate at this, "Marie, seriously, why doesn't she know this stuff?"

"You and I both know I do not care for it," Marie snapped, "Why haven't you explained it?"

They were interrupted as a small group of students their age passed by, one giving Kitty a light touch on the shoulder.

"Hey! Heard about you guys! Congrats!"

Marie watched them go with some kind of wonder. "I don't think I've ever seen them before."

Kitty made a frustrated noise, turning to Jubilee. "Underclassmen never make that list. It's like so much hard work to excel in every category."

"There are categories?"

"What do you think you've been doing this whole time?!"

Jubilee scoffed, "Honestly just killing it?" She looked at the two girls and shrugged, "I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not working for some kind of award or pat on the back."

Kitty frowned, "You have the top scores in every class. You tested higher than every upperclassman."

"Look, first of all I really don't like being called an underclassman I'm like 19," Jubilee wanted to wave off the conversation, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The headache was going to split her skull in two. "Also, it's not that hard."

Kitty looked like she was going through a full spectrum of emotions. She was now near tears. "Jubilee how can you be so dense sometimes? This means we have a shot of getting into really, really good schools. College. University."

"You really think we could go to college?" Jubilee glanced at Marie, who's tone had changed. She was staring at Kitty with a newfound curiosity.

"Well, yeah, why not?" Kitty replied quietly, shuffling between her two feet. "I'm not gonna let anyone stop me from living my life the way I want."

Marie pressed, "Everyone will try and stop us."

Being in that school should have created some kind of barrier from the outside world - it was supposed to be a haven for kids like them. But the professors insisted on reminding them that they did not live in a bubble. They were all in the mess hall when a student came barging in with a smart phone playing a video of a church on fire. There were mutants trapped inside. Or the newspapers they'd find in the library of articles detailing the growing political climate against mutants. Policies proposed to separate them. Tag them. Jail them.

For Marie, it wasn't a new thing to grapple with. Jubilee had to put up being kicked out of spaces for being a Chink. Dirty Jap. Invader.

All of that was sometimes easy to tune out. But they both knew they had accepted an inevitability - suppression, without resistance. Because who would fight for them now if there was no one before they were mutants?

Kitty pressed her lips together, and held her head up high. She seemed taller than her two peers then. "They can try. But I don't plan to lie down while other people who aren't like us decide my future. I want one. Don't you?"

A silence fell between them. Jubilee couldn't help doubt the words. She wanted to reply with something snide and hurtful. It was easy to wish for those kinds of things when you hadn't been targeted for more than just being a mutant. Kitty didn't understand how the real world worked. How much harder you had to fight to just get a little bit of what you wanted. Jubilee had already struggled. She remembered her father's soothing words on the bad days.

Jubilee shut her eyes against that memory.

And she was too tired to climb some other, bigger mountain now that she was also a mutant.

Go to college, get a job, pay a mortgage, have a family - yeah sure, the most basic of American Dreams.

If only.

"Jubilee." A hand pressed gently against her forehead. She realized she hadn't opened her eyes. When she peeled one open, Kitty and Marie were staring at her.

"You look sick, honey." Marie's eyes went back and forth from Kitty's hand to Jubilee.

"Have you eaten?"

Jubilee almost snorted at that, "Yeah I did, Kitty Cat." She pulled away from Kitty's touch, but grimaced as the world started to spin.

"No you need the get to the infirmary," Marie insisted. She was fidgeting, wanting to reach for Jubilee, hating that she couldn't.

"No way I'm just exhausted."

"She's right, Jubilee, you look really bad."

"I just need some sleep so - wait no," she had taken a step forward and her world actually TIPPED. And it didn't stop. Jubilee felt the weight of her own body leave her and everything was turning black. She didn't even hear Kitty and Marie shout.

This headache was going to be the end of her.


	5. Nurse’s Office

Waking up was hard. Everything felt heavy. Jubilee's eyes opened slowly, the task of it alone made her groan.

"She's coming to."

Everything ached - as if she had been womped over and over by giant ocean waves. The memory of that made her frown. She drew a deep breath, her chest screaming against the movement.

"Easy does it, Jubilation." McCoy laid a surprisingly soft hand on her shoulder. Jubilee held onto the warmth of his touch, not wanting to pass out again, the edges of her blurred vision already darkening.

She managed a garbled sound as something small and cold was pressed against the skin of her chest.

"Breathe, Jubilation. Slow. Deeply."

She closed her eyes and focused on her breath. The pain had subsided some as she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Her mouth was as dry as cotton.

"Water."

The command was given before she could speak it. Jubilee opened her eyes, searching for the voice. She hoped it was Marie. Even Kitty.

The darkness of unconsciousness had brought on a sense of dread in Jubilee. She couldn't understand why.

Instead, a swirl of red neared her, holding something out. Jubilee's mouth felt the straw and immediately latched onto it, taking a long drink. She felt her chest hitch, and she stubbornly choked it down. The water wasn't cold or hot, but it still tore its way down her throat.

"Fuck," she coughed. Jubilee felt everything coming back - as if her senses had been turned down by a dial.

She blinked against the darkness. "Marie? Kitty?"

"They're just outside," McCoy replied. Jubilee heard the scratch of pen against paper.

She shifted, realizing she was propped up in a sitting position, and winced as her body objected. "I can't see," she croaked.

"You're eyes are fine, let them adjust." More scratching. "You've suffered a trauma, Jubilation."

She closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against a pillow. "I feel like I wiped out."

"You passed out from sheer exhaustion," McCoy asserted. "It's remarkable, really. The amount of strain you exerted would have crippled someone like me in minutes."

Jubilee managed to glare at McCoy, who still looked like a mess of blues. "So you're saying I almost died again."

"Precisely."

"I hate this place."

"You're exactly where you're meant to be, young one."

"What happened this time?"

"You had a reaction to another mutant," McCoy said carefully. Jubilee noted the change of tone in his voice. "It wasn't Marie, if you were wondering."

"I wasn't," Jubilee snapped. "Who was it."

McCoy fell silent.

"There's a rule about not using our abilities against one another," came that voice again. And to Jubilee's dismay, she knew it well.

That swirl of red appeared again in her vision, and this time it had a face.

Jean was solemn as she spoke again. "It wasn't intentional, Jubilee, but I'm sorry for...for this."

"What'd she do?" Jubilee refused to acknowledge Jean further, the anger beginning to boil.

"Her telepathic range is broader than any other telepath in recorded history - it just barely inches past the Professor himself," McCoy explained. "But Jean is young, therefore it continues to expand as she gets older and her abilities strengthen and change."

"This is not answering my question," an edge had finally returned to her voice. What the hell happened to her?

McCoy coughed lightly, "Jean can penetrate any mind. As far as we know there is no one she can't reach. Except, apparently, you."

Jubilee waited.

"Her mind collided with yours. It's the equivalent of a battering ram to a reinforced door."

"So she tried to read my mind."

"That wasn't - "

"And because I'm some kind of freak among freaks, she couldn't do it and the effort almost killed me."

"That is a simple way of putting it."

"Get me out of this bed," Jubilee demanded, her voice like ice.

"You need bed rest."

"I need this bitch out of my face," Jubilee snapped. "Or I'll break that rule right now."

"I'll go," Jean suddenly spoke. Her own voice was quiet, defeated.

"Jean."

"It's fine, Hank. Professor X wants to see me anyway."

When Jubilee heard the door open and close, she turned to McCoy. "Why did she do this."

"It wasn't her intent," McCoy answered. He sighed, setting down his clipboard on a nearby table. Jubilee realized he was sitting on a stool next to the bed. He crossed his massive arms, "Mutants as powerful as Jean can't always control their abilities. She works very hard at it, I'll admit it, but Jean is something...else."

"I'm glad she's a scientific marvel for you, professor."

"Jubilation, that notion extends to you as well."

"I️ don't want to hear it."

"Well I'm not going anywhere while these tests run, so bear to listen," McCoy ignored her groan. "This information is invaluable to you."

"How are you so excited about this as I'm laying here dying."

"I'm a man of science."

"Kill me now."

"I️ have to tell you there was an accident when you lost consciousness."

Jubilee started, "What?"

"Ever shake a can of soda and open it?"

She stared at him - well, squinted mostly. Jubilee closed her eyes, trying to pull the memory. There was nothing but darkness. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"Kitty had grabbed hold of Marie and phased through the explosion - yes, explosion. So they're fine. But there's an entire wing of the building that needs a remodel."

"Dude."

"There were some treatable injuries, though the very intensity of the blast temporarily blinded a majority of the students in the vicinity."

Jubilee said nothing else, her hands gripping the sheets of the bed at her sides.

"Has this ever happened before."

"No."

McCoy hummed in acknowledgement, nodding as he picked up his clip board and made his notes. "The energy of your sparks, as you call them, runs at a very high frequency. It's kinectic but unlike other mutants I️ know, it's not destructive at it's most basic level. It's almost like a fire that burns too bright to be hot."

Jubilee swallowed what felt like a rock down her throat. "Great."

"On the contrary, what is great is what happens when that energy is stored at a high volume and then released. Resulting, obviously, in your accident."

"My accident."

"I️ took a brain scan just after you arrived and -"

"McCoy," Jubilee groaned, "Can we do this later."

The professor had been rifling through files and paused. "I️ thought you'd like to know you're practically immune to psychic abilities. Of any scale."

Jubilee waved a hand, "Right now I️ don't care."

McCoy grunted, rising to his full height. Jubilee suppressed the need to shrink away from him. He was, after all, a Beast.

"I'll allow the girls to see you, but you'll remain in observation for the week."

"Dude I️ have like 3 exams."

McCoy chuckled, a surprisingly pleasant sound that tumbled from deep within his massive chest as he moved to leave. "Hardly a thing to worry about. I'll come around later, but your friends will have to keep this visit short. You require a full recovery."

"Fine."

The door had barely been cracked open and McCoy had to jump back as the disembodied head of Kitty Pryde appeared just above the doorknob.

"Oh hey, Professor," she offered that melodious charm to her voice, "We thought we heard you were leaving."

The professor cleared his throat, "I know we've discussed this behavior, Miss Pryde."

"Oh, right!"

Kitty's head sunk back into the door and not a moment later she was pushing the door open, "Oh hey, Professor -"

"By the gods, just come along."

"Oh gee, thanks!" Kitty barely spared him another glance as she moved to her friend's bedside. Marie appeared in the doorway, and Jubilee could make out a small, sad smile on her face.

"'Sup, guys," Jubilee greeted.

McCoy gestured for Marie to enter, exiting as she did. He hung back for a moment, enormous as he hunched down in the opening, his voice stern, "One hour, students. No more than that. She - "

"Needs rest," the trio finished for him.

He tried to frown, but they saw the smirk on his mouth before he closed the door behind him.

"You look terrible," Marie spoke first. She was already climbing into the bed with Jubilee, gingerly settling around her feet.

"That's so rude," Kitty mumbled, placing a large paper bag on the bedside. She gave Jubilee a once over, smiling, "You do actually look better though." Her hands nudged the bag forward, "I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up."

Jubilee groaned in pleasure, taking it from her, "You didn't have to, Kitty."

She opened the bag and almost cried at the smell of food wafting out of it.

"Marie made your favorite. Breakfast omelet and her own special of hash browns."

Jubilee looked at Marie, who grinned despite herself. "I made Logan drive us all the way to the supermarket just for egg whites." She nodded to the bag, "He left you a small gift, too."

Removing the container of hot food, Jubilee laughed as her hands fixed on an ice cold glass bottle. When she pulled it out, a small note was tied to the neck. It was a craft beer.

"'The best cure for hangovers is to keep drinking'," she read. Jubilee rolled her eyes, grinning.

"Poster child for perfect parenting," Marie mused.

Jubilee sighed, "Thanks for visiting."

"We're just glad you're not dead," said Marie.

Kitty growled, "They wouldn't even let us come with you in the infirmary. Or wait with you until you woke up."

Jubilee shook her head, "McCoy said it was really bad. I thought he was going to tell me you guys got hurt."

"Kitty saved us," Marie looked at the girl with a warmth that had never been there before. "She phased both of us through the blast, and was the first person to go to you after."

"My hero," Jubilee gushed. Kitty blushed in spite of herself. "Guess those extra sessions with Danger are really paying off."

Kitty's blush somehow managed to reach the top of her ears. "Sure, I guess."

"Looks like I'm top freak on campus," Jubilee winced as she straightened up in the bed. "Pretty sure I'll get us booted off that ranking list."

"It's the opposite," Marie's eyes sparkled. "Ororo just spoke the words X-Men and Logan almost fainted."

Jubilee scoffed, "No way."

"Way," Marie and Kitty replied in unison. The three exchanged surprised expressions.

The pause they shared broke into laughter. Jubilee and the girls began tearing into her meal, Marie stealing bites of the omelette, Kitty testing the hash browns and exclaiming they were the best she ever had.

It was needed, this moment. For Jubilee, who had only ever been alone when her life came crashing down, not much else could have held her together.

They gossiped and giggled and debated on the infirmary bed, her pain forgotten, the world outside of the room forgotten.

"Listen, what happened wasn't nearly as bad as Bobby Drake's accident in the pool," Kitty insisted, sipping the craft beer they had cracked open only upon the agreement that they shared it. "Stuck his junk in one of the pumps."

"Don't continue," Marie pleaded between laughter.

"Bobby 'Ice Man' Drake got his dick stuck in the pool drain?"

Kitty almost choked on her last swing of the bottle, nodding past tears.

"What a nerd!"

"I had to phase him out and give CPR," Kitty groaned, a hand going to her face. "We landed in the hangar below, right on top of Logan's workstation. So imagine like your dad walking in on you on top of some boy giving mouth to mouth."

Jubilee and Marie exchanged sad smiles, but urged Kitty on.

"I had to do detention for like a week. With Bobby. Who tried to stick his tongue down my throat after throwing up chlorine. Ugh."

"Hasn't he been crushing on you since?" Jubilee pressed with a sly grin. "Bobby practically chases you everywhere."

Kitty shook her head wildly, "I can't even look him in the eye after he was exposed like that."

"Is Kitty a prude?"

"Kitty is a prude."

"I am not!"

"You blush for everything," Jubilee insisted through a mouthful of eggs.

"Straight arrow," Marie added.

Kitty's face flushed even more, "You guys think I'm such a goodie two-shoes."

Jubilee nudged her, "There's gotta be one in every trio. You're like Bubbles."

"Bubbles?"

Both Kitty and Jubilee stared at Marie.

"What like she's soap bubbles?"

"Did you never watch Powerpuff Girls?"

"Is that like a TV show?"

Kitty huffed, "You always live in your own world, Marie."

Jubilee shrugged, "Honestly I'm envious of that."

"Students."

The girls turned their attention to the doorway, and there stood Ororo. Dressed, to no one's surprise, elegant as ever. Jubilee absently wondered if the woman even owned sweatpants.

"Getting on well, I see."

Jubilee nodded once, "McCoy is great."

"Do you need us to leave?" Jubilee pondered Kitty's hand wrapping tighter around her own.

"McCoy sent me to ensure you weren't exhausting Jubilee. Unfortunately your Time is up."

"Sure," Marie agreed, climbing out of the hospital bed, giving Jubilee a playful tug of her big toe through the sheets.

"I expect you to make a full recovery by the end of the week," the professor stated. "You have your first squad evaluation."

Jubilee frowned, giving Kitty a parting squeeze of her hand. "Squad evaluation? Don't I have detention or something?"

Ororo raised a brow. "I'm sure your peers informed you of the ranking you all received. Blinding half the school is not an excuse to miss your given curriculum."

"But I almost died."

"And yet you did not die." Ororo halted the two visitors with a firm hand as they approached the doorway. She gave them a once over with that clear blue gaze. "Is that a beer?"

"No," the three replied in unison.

Kitty didn't even blink as she moved her hand behind her back, the bottle almost empty in her grasp.

A small hiccup escaped her.

Ororo's eyes slid closed, arms crossed over her chest. "Logan."

Marie was practically shoving Kitty through the doorway, "Good night, Professor, see you in class tomorrow!"

When Ororo leveled her gaze on Jubilee again, her tone softened when she spoke. "Rest, Jubilee. I'll visit tomorrow."

"'Kay."

"And I'll make sure you can make up for your exams next week."

"Oh my god."


	6. Evaluations

Jubilee wished all she had to do was make up for exams.

"On your feet, kiddo."

 _Kiddo_.

It took only a week for Jubilee to fully recover, as expected. McCoy ran his tests and Marie and Kitty visited everyday, the latter being her only reprieve from all the poking and prodding she endured. Her brain had been scanned, blood drawn, measurements taken - after an hour on a treadmill with an oxygen mask tied to her face and a billion sensors taped to her body, she decided astronauts didn't have to sit through half that shit.

Whatever Jean had done, it hadn't happened before. Jubilee had been a little worried at first. Now she genuinely loathed the young woman.

Stupid telepaths.

It was straight for evaluations after getting McCoy's final approval. Jubilee didn't know what to expect, but she was certain it was some kind of written exam or an oral report.

No.

This was definitely not a fucking oral report, she would rather recite Shakespeare in a feather boa and her underpants in front of her peers. She made a mental note to personally throttle Kitty and Marie for never mentioning that Logan was a psychotic P.E. teacher.

"I said on your feet, Jubes."

A growl rumbled deep in her chest as she pushed herself off the floor. Talcum powder, old sweat, and a hint of copper filled her nose. She tasted blood in her mouth, and tongued the cut in her bottom lip.

It all felt familiar to her - just as grueling as her gymnast training. More force! Stick your landings! Higher! Higher!

Only this time, there were bamboo samurai swords, and a wild man with metal claws for hands.

She had been told Logan performed some kind of torture, but this was crazy. She was dressed like a fucking Japanese dojo disciple and forced to endure his brand of "punishment."

Jubilee removed the training gloves from each hand, dropping them at her bare feet. The headgear, a traditional piece not dissimilar from fencing masks, but heavier, was stifling. Her fingers made work of the clasps and wrenched it off. She breathed deep, tossing the helmet to the side.

In retrospect, it probably wasn't a good idea to pick a fight on the first day. Couldn't be helped though. Logan disagreed. And to be fair, it was just a show of excessive force during a sparring match.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Like, she didn't even hit the girl that hard but whatever.

"We're not done here."

She huffed, pushing back the sweat soaked hair from her eyes.

Honestly, if the bitch hadn't charged at all this whole thing could've been avoided but no...

"Pick. Up. Your. Sword."

...Jubilee had to be the bigger person and just walk away. Yeah. Okay.

"Do you yield?"

She could hear his patience reaching that fine line - the point of actually tearing - and the thrill of watching him cross it gave her the gall to turn to him with the most impassive expression she could muster.

To her delight, it was enough.

Never had she seen someone turn that shade of red. The troll of a man stared at her with those black eyes, and slowly removed the cigar that was hanging from his mouth, baring large, sharp teeth.

"Bored, are we?"

Jubilee gave a single-shoulder shrug, untying the chest plate from her torso. She had to be ready. Light on her feet. And that shit put on an extra 50 pounds. It clattered on the floor as she threw it aside. Just far enough.

"You think I give a shit about a class rank? You're just the same as the next kid that walks into my gym."

Jubilee raised a brow at him, her hands continuing to pull at the many knots on her arm guards.

"You don't get to disrespect your peers, or make a farce of my training."

At this, Jubilee raised two brows. If by disrespect he meant assaulting a classmate, then, sure. Another guard fell to the floor as she rubbed her forearm, inwardly wincing at the soreness from gripping a weighted weapon made entirely of bamboo. She also wondered where he learned a word like farce.

"And now you've gone and pissed me the fuck off." There it was. That low growl.

The small crowd of students around them took a step back. It was already bad. Some of them hated Jubilee. Some of them were scared. The slander thrown at her earlier played back in Jubilee's mind. As well as the sound of her fist cracking Boom Boom's eye socket. It almost wasn't fair that she got to lie down in an infirmary but Jubilee was stuck here, getting lectured and knocked around in front of her class. Fuck them. At least Kitty and Marie weren't there to watch this.

Good.

He meant to grab at her. Maybe throw her over the shoulder and out of the gym. Maybe to slam her to the ground and knock the life from her body. But Jubilee was fast. Always the fastest. He lunged and she dived away. Logan was quick to pivot but she was already rolling to her feet. He didn't see what she held in her hands.

Jubilee swung the chest plate upward until it connected with his face. She bit down on a shout as the impact almost vibrated up her arms. That kind of force could've broken a man's jaw. Instead, Logan's head snapped to the side.

There are a few moments in a person's life where they know, for certain, that they fucked up.

This might have been one of them. Didn't matter. She figured he'd forgive her later. Maybe even understand why she'd done it. Juvenile rebellion. Adverse reaction to authority. Just plain old petty.

But she couldn't help the sliver of doubt when he looked at her.

Jubilee had never seen murder in someone's eyes before that moment. And it scared the shit out of her. It's probably the same feeling bunnies have when they make eye contact with a wolf. A certain, violent end. Turning on a heel, she made to dash away. And realized that she may never in her life be faster than Logan.

He grabbed the back of her gi and yanked. Hard. She cursed as her feet actually left the ground and she was flung backwards. Her shoulder hit the mat first and she allowed it to absorb the impact as she thrust her legs upward and over. She landed on her feet and was already scrambling to stand, her eyes widening in horror as Logan's wild glare was just inches from her face. One hand snatched the front of her gi, the other the waist of her slacks, and Jubilee was shouting as she was being lifted up and over his head.

The ground rushed up at her as he threw her onto the mat, knocking the wind from her chest. Jubilee's sense of fight or flight brought her rolling to her feet, stumbling backwards.

He waited, hands balled into fists and chest heaving.

She fell to a knee, a hand grasping at her gi as she forced herself to breathe. Spots danced before her eyes as she leveled a glare at him.

"Yield, you little shit."

He had to have known better. Than to talk to her like that. Especially like that. She hadn't even left a mark on his face after that first blow. It only pissed her off more.

"Fuck you," she spat.

"Stay your ass down. Yield."

At the moment, even if she wanted to, she couldn't stand. She was shaking, unsteady, but the anger burned hot in her gut.

Fuck this guy. Fuck that girl. Fuck this place. Fuck them. Jubilee ground her teeth together as the burn in her gut seemed to spread to her chest.

She watched him whip around to the rest of the class, who looked on in terror.

"Anyone else bored with my class or interested in pissing me off?"

A weak chorus of "No" floated in the tense air.

"My class. My rules. My - "

The class erupted in a deafening bang and flash of blinding light. In the chaos of the moment - students shouting, screaming, scrambling and stumbling away, disorientation and panic rampant, no one saw Jubilee fly across the room and hurtle into Logan.

The blast had hit him directly in his back, the force of it knocking him to the floor, clothing singed to the skin. He was quick to recover, staggering to his feet, wisps of steam rising from his hunched over form.

Jubilee had moved with a renewed fury, darting through the smoke, ears ringing from her own attack, blinking back the white clinging to the edges of her vision.

There was a short time in Jubilee's childhood when her father put her in martial arts classes. Kickboxing was a personal favorite, but the king fu academy in San Francisco had given her a love of movement - tumbling and flying.

So it was easy to plant a Sure foot on Logan's bent leg, hands grasping the hard muscle of his shoulder, and pushing up and over as he swung back an arm. She used the momentum of his body and pulled down. He was a heavy bastard but not a friend of gravity. It was enough. He fell forward, hitting the mat with Jubilee, who growled as her arms found his massive neck and secured his shoulder while her legs wound tight around his chest.

And she squeezed.

Jubilee was vaguely aware of the shouting that erupted around them as students began to recover and witness the scene before them. Logan was on his back, choking, as Jubilee roared, strangling the life from him.

But Jubilee was struggling. It only took so much pressure to suffocate someone into submission, but the man was three times her size and carved out of stone. She was already exhausted, but her own stubbornness refused to let go.

Logan tried to roll them over, she tightened her legs and firmly kept him on his back. A hand came up and grabbed at her knee in a crushing grip. Maybe he was trying to tap out. Maybe he wanted to pulverize her chances of actually walking again. Jubilee screamed in objection, her hands burning again. She shut her eyes as she raised a blazing fist and slammed it into his face. Repeatedly.

The first time her sparks flew, Jubilee had felt a range of emotions. She had come to meet students who found their powers in times of fear, rage, pain, and desperation. It had been different for her.

Despite everything else that happened - drowning in the violent tides of the ocean, helplessly watching her mother bleed out on the kitchen floor, fighting off devious boys in that one home, or staring down the barrel of a gun that held the promise of giving her the same end as her parents - none of it was enough to trigger her abilities.

Instead it was that night, on the beach, sitting in front of a dying fire pit, spiraling in the darkness and uncertainty of what her life had become.

It was a moment of feeling completely lost.

And a light, so pure, so wonderful, erupted in her own two hands.

Jubilee's power manifested as a beacon. When everything was fucked, beyond repair, her sparks gave her true, clear, presence.

She had learned quickly to trust it. And let it burn bright.

Without warning, Jubilee's hold on him broke - wrenching his arm from her grasp, Logan reached back grabbed at the front of her gi. He twisted to his knees and managed to lift Jubilee, his other hand snatching her fist before it landed another strike. Jubilee registered that half of his face was gone before he slammed her into the ground.

Jubilee cried out as a crushing weight hit her chest, Logan pressing a boulder of a knee into her.

"YIELD!"

"NO!"

Her free hand shot up, and a blast of sparks exploded directly in his face.

The sound he made was one Jubilee would never forget for the rest of her life.

And then the weight on her chest was gone, and she rolled away, choking and gasping, her hands numb as she tried to rub the dark spots from her eyes. She tried to stand and found she could not, her knee giving out with terrible, sharp pain.

Dazed, Jubilee finally looked around.

Most of the students had fled. A few had huddled to a side of the room, watching in horror. Only three remained at the edges of the arena they were in. She recognized them from her classes. A tall blonde boy, his dark haired friend with the bright brown eyes and bronze skin, and the girl who was always setting things on fire.

They regarded her with a mixture of awe, fear, and anger.

"Stay down, Jubilee," the blonde one warned.

Cannonball. She saw him barrel through four solid walls made of brick and walk away without a scratch.

The girl was the closest, her own fists on actual fire as she took a wide stance. Magma. The other boy moved to her side as Jubilee leveled a dark gaze at them. He was glowing. Sunspot.

Everybody here and their stupid fucking code names.

Jubilee turned away from them, and found Logan not too far behind her, on his hands and knees. Retching.

His head was smoldering, wisps of smoke rising from his burnt scalp.

She watched him stand, swaying on his feet, unsteady, his back to her. He was still coughing and wheezing, the sound dry and cracked. He was reaching into his vest, the furry collar burned away, the leather blackened at the shoulders. Jubilee heard the scratch of a match, and watched small puffs of smoke rise in between labored breaths and hacking.

When he turned, she heard the students gasp. Her own stomach lurched. What had been Logan's face was now a lump of seared meat, metal, and bone. Gone was the black mane of hair, the dense beard, a nose or mouth or ears. His teeth looked even larger, whiter, sharper as it clamped down on a lit cigar. But his eyes were intact. Black and glittering in the lidless sockets of his skull. Focused only on her.

A hand grabbed the cigar from his mouth, and he exhaled smoke through his bared teeth, some of it coming out of the tears in his cheeks.

"Get out."

The command was directed to everyone but her. No one had to be told twice. The gym cleared instantly, but Canonball lingered.

"Professor -"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

The young man cleared his throat, casting Jubilee a withering glance before turning on a stiff heel and walking toward the exit.

When the door closed, Logan seemed to falter, taking a step toward Jubilee and collapsing to his knees with a thud.

"Shit."

He was done.

Jubilee let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding, letting herself sprawl across the floor on her stomach.

Silence filled the space between them.

And then the tears came.

She was spent. Beyond exhausted. Her chest hurt. Her hands throbbed painfully. And everything she held in since stepping off of that stupid plane had burst at the seams.

"I fucking hate you," she cried, burying her face in her hands. "Why'd you say that. Why'd you let me do that!"

What was she doing here? Making friends and living her best life? How, when she had nothing. When the life she had was shot dead, dragged between shitty homes, and wasted on the streets?

She didn't owe him shit. She didn't ask to be taken away. She didn't need some stupid kids shouting at her, spreading lies about a life she didn't have anymore -

Rough, callused hands gently picked her off the floor, and pulled her against something solid and warm. She didn't care enough to push him away.

And he didn't offer any words. They sat like that for a long time. Not speaking, only Jubilee's wretched sobbing.

"I don't want to be here," she choked out.

Logan only grunted.

"All of this is stupid," she said weakly.

Another grunt.

"I'm not sorry for knocking her out."

A pause. And a softer grunt.

"What was the point of that?" She demanded, hoarse and sullen.

"You can't train with these kids." His voice had changed, and Jubilee pulled away, turning to look at him.

Most of his face had come back, the skin waxy and pink, the hair on top of his head grown out in patches. His lips curled into a sneer, but Jubilee figured it was the closest thing to a smile he could manage.

"Looks like you'll get to meet Danger."

If Danger was actually the glare that Jubilee was receiving from Ororo, she wanted to elect another alternative.

There was a chill in her office today, despite the clear, perfect weather outside the window. Jubilee suppressed a shiver and tried not to cower from the Titan of a woman.

Those icy blue eyes were dark with anger. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Thankfully, Jubilee wasn't alone this time. Marie sat to her left, Kitty to her right. They all fidgeted in their chairs. It wasn't even sunrise when they were summoned to the professor's office. Sleep had found them curled up together on two beds pushed together. They had spent the night weighing this very moment, tumbling through varying stages of grief.

"Silence? Hoping a little unity will stop me from expelling the three of you before breakfast?"

Jubilee closed her eyes, waiting for Kitty to crack first.

But only more silence followed. After a moment, she peeled an eye open to find Ororo glaring at them.

"I have a young woman confined to the infirmary for a fractured eye socket. Explain, or I send the three of you packing."

Marie stood, "And where would Jubilee go!"

"She and I both know the answer to that," Ororo replied, words laced with venom, her eyes never leaving Jubilee.

Kitty stood, "You wouldn't do that! Not to her!"

"Take your seats," Ororo growled. They glanced at each other and complied, casting the woman equally hateful glares.

"You deliberately harmed another student, endangering her well being." Ororo pushed herself off the desk and took a step toward them. "I don't care what she did, I don't care if she started it, and I don't believe Logan when he says you understand the consequence of your action. The three of you were irresponsible in managing the situation."

"Managing What situation?" Kitty challenged, and the two other girls cast her a matching, horrified, sideways glance. "She bullied - no, terrorized - the three of us and when we tried to talk about it we were told to ignore it. Her micro aggressions toward Marie and her physical attacks on me and Jubilee should've been enough to expel HER."

"And yet she is in the hospital bed, with a strong chance of losing vision in her left eye."

Kitty's mouth worked against another retort, her face turning red as she cast her eyes to the floor.

"There were things that could have been done to prevent this," Ororo continued. "You have given me very few options."

"It was a sparring exercise," Marie defended. "We didn't have to be there to know that Jubilee defended herself against Tabitha. At what point are we supposed to walk away when being the bigger person puts us in danger?"

Jubilee felt her heart clench, knowing that Marie had endured the worst of it the longest. Kitty only became a target because she was constantly intervening with Boom Boom's antagonizing. She had failed terribly at hiding the burns from her roommates.

"You have remained silent since arriving, Jubilee," Ororo focused on the girl again. "I expect you've weighed the outcome. What would you have me do."

Jubilee stood slowly, meeting Ororo's gaze. She took a steadying breath. "You told me there was zero tolerance for disruption. I understand we could have collectively prevented this, but they shouldn't be punished for my actions." She had been practicing this in her head since leaving the gym yesterday. Jubilee knew from the moment she engaged Boom Boom it was a fate she could not avoid.

"Jubilee - " Kitty started.

"But I should go."

"Agreed," the response from Ororo was swift and carried a finality that Jubilee hadn't prepared for. She felt herself sag in the silence that followed.

"You don't even know what Tabitha said," Kitty suddenly spoke. Her voice trembled with what Jubilee recognized as rage. She turned to look at the girl. Kitty sat in her chair, directing an accusatory scowl at Ororo.

Jubilee paled. "Don't -"

"Everyone in the mess was talking about it," Kitty almost couldn't repeat it. "Tabitha accused her of killing her own parents."

Jubilee spun away from Kitty, casting her gaze to the floor.

"If it were me - I would've phased her into the foundation of the school, and left her there," Kitty growled. Ororo stiffened. "She has no right treating people the way she does - it's repulsive and stands against the inclusivity and unity this institution stands for. If you want to expel her, you'd better wheel Professor X here to do it himself."

Jubilee's hand flew to her mouth to stifle the gasp that Marie made no effort to conceal.

"She just said to wheel that man out here," Marie whispered to no one.

The silence that followed was going to break Jubilee, who was content to just study the laces of her shoes.

"Unnecessary, Miss Pryde, but noted."

"I have more points if you'd like for me to share them," she bit back.

"Please don't," Marie replied weakly. "I want to live."

"I watched you fight him," Ororo finally spoke. Jubilee recoiled, regarding the woman with wide eyes. The professor was looking at her with a strange curiosity. "No hesitation. No fear. Fully in control. In the face of defeat you did not give up." Ororo nodded. "You passed your evaluation."

"WHAT."

"I agree you should leave - it's clear you still grapple with the violence that took your parents from you. You have an aversion to authority, and you've yet to measure the full scope of your abilities which puts your peers in danger."

"AND."

"Despite my observations, Professor Xavier is allowing you to stay. With conditions."


	7. Leaving

The daze of the morning's events hadn't lifted, and the day had waned into the evening. Jubilee sat on the edge of Marie's bed, staring out of the window. She imagined she had been there for hours. Not moving. Trying not to think. And failing repeatedly.

Earlier, it was Kitty and Marie sitting in their beds, watching a manic Jubilee's frantic pacing.

The girls had tried to reason with Jubilee during the peak of her anxiety.

"It's not an expulsion, this is supposed to be a good thing."

"This is the safest place you could be right now."

"No one got seriously hurt, Boom Boom is going to be fine."

"All of Logan's hair finally grew back."

It had sunk into Jubilee's mind the severity of her behavior. She lashed out and struck another student. She broke that girl's face. And Logan. Her stomach still turned at the sound of his screams. No one, especially not Jubilee, knew the limits of her powers - because before yesterday, all she could make were simple fireworks - not anything like the napalm that almost took off Logan's head.

In a group home, this was enough to get her booted and thrown into juvi. But instead they wanted to hone her abilities, train with the likes of the elite, and -

The mattress shifted beneath Jubilee, and she lifted an arm as Marie slipped close, leaning into her side.

The girl was wrapped like a burrito in one of their comforters - Kitty's idea, after Jubilee had woken from a string of particularly awful night terrors and the girls created a fort of blankets, pillows and a mattress while Jubilee fidgeted and slumbered sandwiched between them. The best part of that following morning was rolling a sleeping Marie right out of her cocoon.

"Don't leave."

Jubilee worked her face against the tears that stung her eyes. Marie knew she wouldn't leave. But Marie also knew everything inside of her wanted to flee from this place.

She drew a trembling breath, unable to look at her friend.

"I won't," Jubilee choked out, her arm tightening around Marie.

It was scary, this feeling. Jubilee had no problem leaving behind the other kids at other homes. Especially the smaller ones. The ones craving for a big sister. Someone to keep them safe. Jubilee would still pack her shit and bolt without a second thought. All she could be worried about was herself. What's a six year old with cigarette burns on their back compared to her own preservation? There were hundreds - thousands - of children like that, and saving one wasn't going to help them all.

But Jubilee, for all she could barely understand, refused to leave Marie and this place.

She hated herself for it.

Marie wasn't a child. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. Jubilee barely enjoyed the curriculum and couldn't stand the other students.

So why stay?

Jubilee was unwilling to give up what little of herself she had gained back.

Like, honestly, fuck Logan for doing this to her, though.

And yet she didn't have to explain herself to Marie. And that - that right there was too precious to walk away from.

"You're going to go anyway," Marie replied.

Jubilee covered her mouth, trying to strangle the sob crawling its way up her throat. She stood then, her feet unsteady, her side cold without Marie there.

"I just need space I need to think."

Marie pushed the cover down to her waist, her fingers already twisting together between her hands, appearing and disappearing under the sleeves of her oversized sweater. Jubilee recognized that tick. She was scared.

Jubilee turned away, taking slow breaths.

"I'll be fine. This happens. But I know and you know that this is what you do."

"Oh yeah," Jubilee spun around, anger striking through her. "What is it that I do?"

A strange calm passed over Marie. She regarded Jubilee with a sideways glance, an expression usually reserved for other students. That was annoyance. Detachment. Jubilee couldn't reconcile the emotions that began to bloom within her.

"You'll run. You'll try and clear your head but just end up somewhere else and start over. It's easier for you to start over than confront the problems you want to get away from."

"Good job, Doctor Phil, you can recall my psych eval notes verbatim."

"I used to runaway from here all the time," Marie's voice dropped an octave. She was practically sneering at Jubilee. "They used to make Logan go fetch me. Took me back kicking and screaming too. After a while he stopped coming. Got tired of it, I guess. Good call on his part, because I would just come crawling back. Stopped doing it entirely. So don't worry no one will miss you because every kid here does the same thing."

Jubilee just stared at her, unable to recognize the girl.

But Marie shrugged, standing, folding the blanket and setting it on her bed. "I warned you. This thing we have always fades. Leave it to me to get stuck with the ones just as broken as -"

"You know what, I'll stop you right there. Save the monologue," Jubilee was already marching to her own bed, snatching a duffle bag from the floor, dumping out the soiled gyms clothes and ripping the drawers of her dresser open.

"Sounds like you totally have the break up thing down to a science. That's great because I have this down to a science too," Jubilee was speaking faster than she could think, her voice rising with every word. But she didn't want silence to fill the chasm that had opened up between them, and she didn't want Marie to fill it with her own cutting words.

Her hands grasped at clothes - it looked blind but she was present enough in the moment to count the number of clean underwear, shirts, and pants she shoved into the duffle. Years of practice made her an excellent escape artist. She scowled at the thought.

"Real smart trying to make this about you - I mean fuck me, right? Keep your novels and your stupid poetry, dude." She turned to her desk and snatched up the small book laying there, her knuckles almost white as she gripped it. It was all falling apart too fast, the anger rolling in her gut. She clung to that, because the pain of what was happening was definitely going to snap her in two. "You know I've left places worse than this and NEVER LOOKED BACK -"

Jubilee turned to throw it, and a hand shot out and snatched her wrist.

Marie's brown eyes were staring into hers, welling with tears. "Okay. OKAY."

"You -"

"I take it back. All of it. Just. Just WAIT."

"Marie - "

"I know and you know that I know that you know that this is stupid bullshit."

"Dude -"

"We're stuck in this never ending loop and if you go I know I won't have this again and you'll be alone again and-"

Jubilee cut her off, thrusting the hand that Marie was holding in a bone crushing grip between their faces. Her free hand plucked the book from the other, tossing it aside, and pointed.

Marie was touching the skin of Jubilee's wrist.

With her bare hand.

And nothing was happening.

Marie stared. Her mouth tried to form words, but none came as she brought Jubilee's hand closer, almost closing the space between them.

Her grip relaxed, her fingers almost letting go, the tips of them just touching the inside of the girl's wrist. Her thumb pressed against Jubilee's pulse, and Marie's eyes slid closed.

There were a lot of firsts for Jubilee in this place. And here was the moment she witnessed true, weightless, peace.

They stood like this for what felt like a long time, Jubilee almost as transfixed with the contact as Marie, feeling that chasm between them slowly disappearing.

When the tears began to fall, Marie didn't open her eyes until she felt a callused thumb brush against her cheek. They looked at each other with shared awe. Marie moved her touch from Jubilee's pulse and intertwined their fingers, clasping their hands together, letting go of a trembling breath.

Forgotten was their argument. And everything else for that matter.

Jubilee wanted to say something. Anything, really.

 _Maybe this was a little gay._

 _It wasn't gay, right?_

 _Okay, cool, I wasn't sure but I had to say it out loud but you know._

 _And like who cares anyway, people are so scared of intimacy on any level outside of sexual relationships so -_

And then Marie's hands were on her face, in her hair, around her neck, her palms pressing into curves and hollows and ridges, unable to use words as she whimpered and gasped.

It was frantic, as if Marie didn't know how much time she had in this moment, trying to take as much as she could, her nails grazing Jubilee's scalp, fingertips pressing against her lips, tracing the contours of her face, the line of her neck to the exposed muscle of her shoulder.

To Jubilee, it was like Marie was seeing her for the first time.

And this was perhaps the most intimate she had ever been with anyone, after her parents died.

It broke her heart.

The mountain that Marie had put between them was crumbling before their eyes. Neither could even begin to understand how and why.

And for just a moment, Jubilee didn't want to be anywhere else but there, keeping Marie grounded as her world fell away.

Their eyes eventually met as Marie held Jubilee's face in her hands, almost with reverence.

A laugh escaped Marie, her expression unbelieving. There it was. Absolute joy. Wonder.

"How...how long does will this last?"

"I don't know. But...we'll make the best of it."

"You mean together?"

"I mean, together."


	8. Joy Ride

She needed fresh air. So Marie took her for a joyride. In Logan's convertible.

Having done this more than once, Marie led Jubilee, hand in hand, through the school to the garage beneath the foundation.

The entire way, Marie refused to look back at Jubilee, her grip almost too tight.

"Afraid I'll disappear?"

Marie hung her head in reply, still not sparing a glance. "Maybe. Except I don't have a harp and you're not a shade and we're not escaping Hades."

"So you read ahead in class again."

It was easy to grab the set of keys from the dozens hanging above a desk. Easier to unscrew the roof and toss it to the side. Marie had rummaged through the glove compartment for a few minutes, mumbling something about Logan's incessant need to possess and wreck various vehicles, before Jubilee found the garage door switch in the dashboard.

No one and nothing stopped them as they sped away into the night, their wild laughter trailing through the cool air.

Jubilee had cheered and squealed as Marie expertly took every turn at high speeds, racing further into the rural expanse that led away from the school. Houses with big lawns faded into low hills and paved roads.

It wasn't until they were pulled over, sitting on the warm hood of the car, and looking out at the highest point on some winding curb, that they began to ask questions.

"Do you think he gets, like, hairballs?"

"You're assuming he self grooms."

"But he's a cat."

"No, no I really don't think so."

Marie was preoccupied with the shape of Jubilee's ear, tugging lightly at the lobe between two fingers. Jubilee endured it, her arms folded over Marie's bent knees, thrown across her lap.

"You know if you snip it off you get to keep it forever," Jubilee teased, casting Marie a sideways glance. Those hands disappeared, and she received a pout. Not a moment later, warm fingers explored the muscle of her shoulder under the sleeve of her shirt.

"What if you just stopped doing push ups, one day?"

"I would immediately disappear," Jubilee nodded, her face solemn. "Poof. Gone. I am nothing without this physique."

When they had first pulled over, the girls had tentatively tested Marie's touch. There had been some arguing. Marie's reluctance. Jubilee's insistence.

It had eventually led to Jubilee standing with her hands on her hips, waiting impatiently as Marie endlessly talked to herself while a single finger hovered inches away from Jubilee's face. It ended poorly, with Marie managing the lightest touch on Jubilee's nose, who then threw herself to the dirt and feigned a seizure until Marie was nearly a sobbing mess.

And that ended with Jubilee actually crying with laughter as Marie wrestled her on the ground, hurling curses.

Marie grinned now, shaking her head as she leaned back, looking out into the night. "I used to do this a lot. Come out here, I mean."

"So you've said." Jubilee grunted at the light smack against her back. "Where'd you learn how to drive like that?"

Marie shrugged, "I didn't really learn it. That's how Logan drives."

Jubilee understood. "Abilities, memories, and random skill sets. With just a touch."

"Yes and no. I don't think I can choose what I get. I don't know that I can. Everyone is different. The memories are the hardest because sometimes I don't know that they weren't mine to begin with. I worry that I might lose some of my own. Look," Marie tugged the collar of her sweater to expose the skin of her shoulder.

She prodded at the smooth, dark flesh there. "When I was twelve, I fell from a tree. Messed up my shoulder so bad they had to do surgery. There was a huge scar here - the ugliest. After I touched Logan, it disappeared."

Jubilee frowned, "Like gone forever?"

"Like it never happened."

"He is always ruining everything - I bet that scar was so cool."

Marie chuckled, covering her shoulder. "At first I was relieved - I actually hated it. But then if it's gone - did I ever really fall from that tree? What if that wasn't my memory to begin with? What if everything I know, right now, isn't me at all?"

"And this is why we don't get to sit at the popular kids table during lunch."

"You're an awful person."

"Do you think so?"

The mood shifted then. Jubilee looked at Marie, clasping her hands tight, still bruised and banadaged from earlier, allowing herself to step back into that place of vulnerability she hated so damn much. To talk about the things that were silent between them.

Marie reached for Jubilee's cheek, and hesitated. Jubilee waited. Her eyes slid closed as Marie's fingers tentatively pressed against the skin of her face. That hand firmly grasped onto her chin, but Jubilee refused to look at her friend.

"I think if you're asking me for forgiveness - I can't give it to you. Just because I've seen and felt your life, it doesn't give me the authority to pass judgement on you. Professor Xavier made sure I learned this before anything else when I got here. If you let everything before choose what you do next and how you move forward - it'll all just be the same, honey."

Jubilee let herself be pulled into Marie's arms, grumbling at the wisdom in those words.

"But if it means anything," Marie mumbled into her shoulder, "I don't think you're awful at all."

"We could just keep driving, you know. Pick up Kitty somewhere along the way, maybe."

"Yes, your street smarts, her book smarts, and my good looks will take us so far in life."

"She would complain the entire time," Jubilee managed a small laugh.

"She would," Marie nodded, resting her chin on the other girl's shoulder. "But at least she'd keep us out of trouble."

"Definitely the Blossom to our Powerpuff Girls."

"I still don't know what that is."

Jubilee sighed. "We have so much homework to do, dude."

"I think Ororo will give us a pass."

"Chalking it off to freshman anxiety?"

"To whatever this is," Marie pulled back, looking at the space between them. "How do we even begin to explain this?"

"How does it feel?"

Marie opened her mouth to reply, and shut it, sitting back, her arms sliding into her lap.

"I don't actually have words for this."

Jubilee gasped, feigning shock. "The, Anna-Marie, the greatest poet of our generation, at a loss for words?" She endured another smack on her arm.

Marie was smiling, shaking her head. But the humor slowly drained from her face. "I don't know how this happening, but what I do know is that I'm not...different. I'm the same, I'm not magically cured or something. This is either temporary or something is changing. When I touch you, I can still feel...my power under my own skin. A cat still has its claws, right?"

"I think I know what you mean. Maybe you've managed to control it."

"I don't think so. I don't know. With you, I'm so careful. But more careful than I am with everyone else. Does that make sense?"

"Sure, you don't want to get complacent and then put me in another coma."

"I didn't put you in a coma, but yes."

"We won't know for sure until we actually test it. But you know, that means probably having McCoy trap you in the infirmary."

"That means going back."

"I guess, but not just yet," Jubilee sighed, wistful, gazing out into the night again. "Just a little bit longer."

In reply, the sound of Jubilee's stomach growling.

"Fuck that let's go back I need food."

Marie grinned, untangling herself from the other girl. "There's a diner not too far from here. The best burgers and shakes around. C'mon."

Another 15 minutes or so in another direction and the pair found themselves pulling into a parking space in front of a classic, chrome encased diner, and then sliding into a dimly lit booth with a window.

Definitely a snapshot of a time before things like desegregation, the diner was very much a perfect picture of milkshake dates - but warm, inviting, and smelling of the promise of delicious food. A low hanging lamp just above their heads offered their booth a moody glow, menus tucked behind a small condiments rack against the window. Jubilee smiled at the charming juke box on a wall behind Marie, streaming the jazz that often filled their dorm room.

It seemed like a perfect hideaway. There weren't a lot of customers, a few scattered along a serving counter, an opening to the kitchen beyond allowing the view of a single cook and the clatter of stove tops, pans, and skillets striking grills. A woman dressed in a simple plaid shirt and dark skirt arrived to their table with a small smile, tucking a notepad and pen into a smart apron around her hips.

Jubilee took in the purple streaks in her blonde hair, and the strange silver of her eyes.

"Not alone tonight, Rogue?"

Marie shrugged, tugging on a lock of hair, avoiding Jubilee's questioning glance. "We go to school together. She's my friend."

The waitress' expression brightened, turning to Jubilee, "A friend? She's prettier than the big guy you drag in here with you sometimes."

Her mouth quirked into a winning smile, "Better dining company than the big guy."

"Welcome, friend of Rogue. I'll give you ladies a moment to peruse the menu. Can I bring your usual tea?"

"Yes, that's wonderful."

Jubilee pursed her lips as she watched the waitress walk behind the counter, and gave the diner another once over, sliding to the edge of her seat.

The jazz music. The silver eyes. Jubilee realized one of the customers hunched over his meal had horns. And green skin.

She slid back into the booth, opening her mouth to speak. Marie had successfully hid her face behind a printed menu.

Jubilee rolled her eyes, her hand touching the top of the menu and slowly pressing it down to the table top.

Marie met her arched brows with a sheepish look, chewing her bottom lip.

"Rogue?"

"What?"

"You didn't tell me you have a code name too, dude."

"I didn't choose it."

"But you have one. And I can tell you like it."

"You're judging me."

"Of course! You have code name!"

"Everyone does!"

"Not me."

"That's because you think you're too cool for one."

"Well, Yes."

Marie rolled her eyes, inspecting the menu again, "Logan gave it to me, okay? We use it in when we're in public."

"Right, because you're superheroes."

"I'm no superhero."

"You are the most super of them all," Jubilee sighed, earning a grin from Marie, "Now tell me what's good here."

They placed their orders, and a short time later a young man appeared with two plates of greasy burgers and a mountain of French fries.

He had the same silver eyes and purple hair as the waitress, giving Jubilee a polite nod, and Marie a toothy grin.

"Two plates for two ladies," he set them down on the table and did a slight bow.

"A personal visit from the chef himself," Marie greeted.

He lingered at the table, clasping his hands at his front, "Nice to see you again, Rogue."

Jubilee watched the exchange with interest while she stuffed a fistful of fries in her mouth.

"This looks amazing, thank you."

"It's my pleasure. Can I get you anything else?"

He certainly wasn't talking to Jubilee. He had his back to her at that point.

"No," Marie replied, her voice so sweet and husky Jubilee thought she had molasses on her tongue, "But I'll call if we do, shug."

Jubilee's brows shot up at that.

When they were left alone, Marie finally met Jubilee's gaze. Her eyes widened. "What?"

"What do you mean, 'what?' What the hell was that?"

Marie shook her head, her dark hair rippling, taking a bite of her burger. "I don't know how you mean."

"You minx, you know exactly what I mean."

Marie sighed, "I've come here often, okay? They know me."

"They know Rogue. I don't know Rogue."

"Well," Marie made a show of hands around her face, "Here ya go."

Jubilee only laughed, stealing a fry from her friend's plate, "You are so oblivious sometimes."

Marie raised a brow, sipping from her milkshake.

"This conversation is not going to pass the Bechdel Test, just so you know." Jubilee ignored her groan. "That guy is super into you."

"He is not."

"Totally is. You flirt."

"I am unfamiliar with that term, Jubilee."

"You laid that accent on so hard, oh my god."

"We're familiar, it comes out more when I'm comfortable."

"You don't have to make excuses I'd flirt just as much with a voice like that."

"He's not even my type."

Jubilee made a sound of triumph through a mouthful of burger, "You have a type?!"

"Keep your voice down!" She hissed, kicking at Jubilee under the table.

But Jubilee was already wiping her mouth roughly with a napkin, leaning forward. "You don't tell me anything, dude. Come on. You know everything about me."

"But I don't grill you about it!"

"But you KNOW that's the difference you don't have to ask."

Marie huffed, a perfect impression of Kitty Pryde, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, ask me something. Not about boys."

"We are super failing the Bechdel Test right now - spill the details on your dream guy."

"I don't - there's no -"

It was too perfect then. The sound of the diner entrance ringing softly, signaling the arrival of another customer. The way Marie's eyes lifted, looking beyond Jubilee. Because she somehow just KNEW. The way her jaw hung ajar as her gaze became too focused, too wide, too distant, a fry held in one hand, half eaten.

Jubilee didn't notice at first, this change, happily tearing into her burger. But when the silence between them changed into something that made Jubilee shift in her seat uncomfortably, she looked up to see Marie completely twisted around in her seat, looking over the top of the edge of their booth, towards the diner counter.

"What's wrong?"

"My love is a fever, longing still," the girl whispered, the words spoken like a prayer. Jubilee almost didn't catch it, screwing her face into confusion as she leaned forward.

"Dude - "

Marie ignored her, as if in a trance, continuing to mumble to no one but herself.

"Marie - "

"For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright," she continued, and Jubilee could have sworn she saw the girl cross herself, "Who art as black as hell, as dark as night."

Another strange silence passed.

"Did you just recite Shakespeare?" Jubilee almost shouted.

Everyone in the diner, the few that there were, turned their heads in their direction.

Including a pair of red eyes that Jubilee hadn't noticed before.

Marie squeaked, throwing herself flat against the seat of the booth.

"You seriously need to stop reading ahead - but that's definitely one of those sappy sonnets. Kinda whatever but you know," Jubilee ignored Marie's muffled groan, "I think he's done better stuff."

"Jubilation," Marie hissed.

Her friend laughed, leaning back and taking a bite out of another fry. "You're such a nerd I love it."

"Is he still looking?"

Jubilee glanced around the diner, and everyone had gone back to their business.

Except that pair of red eyes. They were zeroed in on exactly their booth.

"Yep."

"Oh my god."

"Who's he?"

"Jubilee please let me die in peace."

"You are an incredible romantic, honestly."

"Do us a favor and just kill me now."

Jubilee dared another look, too curious. Those eyes were still staring. They shifted, Meeting Jubilee's gaze. It occurred to her then, how red they were, like glittering rubies.

But that face.

If Marie was meant to be on the cover of Vogue, he was meant to be on the cover of GQ. For sure a European print. It was angular, with sharp cheek bones and a high brow, that perfect square jaw with a shadow of a beard, framed with almost shoulder length hair, tousled by the wind.

Jubilee whistled to herself, and dared a tiny wave.

She received a smile so wolffish, so predatory, that she stiffened, sliding deeper into the booth and out of his line of sight.

"So like, I guess you're into really...um...scary looking guys."

"Did he smile?"

"Dude, do not tell me you like that smile. I will flip this table, Marie, I swear on McCoy's 9 lives -"

Marie almost moaned, "He is so handsome."

"I'm getting the check."

"Is he still looking?"

"Jesus Christ I hope not," Jubilee inched back for a look, trying to be discreet.

He was still looking at them. And getting up from his seat. Jubilee cursed, throwing herself onto her seat like Marie, and the two exchanged mortified squeals under the table.

"Uncover your hands from your face, woman, and look me in the eye," Jubilee growled.

Marie's hands had indeed been covering her face, and she forced her fingers apart to peak at Jubilee, "God what do I say to him?"

"Marie, I adore you, but he looks like a serial killer. Let's go."

"What about the check?"

Jubilee was juggling trying to time the distance between them and this red-eyed weirdo and stealing glances over the table top when she came to the realization that she hadn't a single dollar to her name.

"Wait, how were you going to pay?"

Marie seemed to have a moment outside of her panic, pursing her lips in thought. "Actually, I never do."

The strangled sigh that escaped Jubilee managed to make Marie grin. "I really do hate you, dude."

"Okay, let's just get up and go."

"Okay, on the count of three."

"Three."

Jubilee and Marie popped up in their seats with a terrified shout at the sound of the new voice.

A young man, not the weirdo with the red eyes, stood there. Jubilee's eyes darted around for Marie's serial killer crush, but the man was nowhere to be found. It was like he disappeared. As if that wasn't even creepier.

Their new arrival cleared his throat, snapping Jubilee out of her panic.

"Yes?"

He recoiled at her sharp tone. She frowned, sizing him up with quick glance. Tall, lean athletic build, dressed in slim fitting jeans tucked into motorcycle riding boots, strong arms folded over a broad chest, a tight shirt showing off the hard muscle lining his shoulders, a chiseled jaw, short, styled, dark hair and - it occurred to Jubilee that she was staring a little too hard, watching him shift from foot to foot under her intense gaze. He was hot. Super hot.

But she couldn't tell if he had, like, ugly-face, because the sunglasses he was wearing, a strange, gleaming red, covered up most of his face.

The glasses. Right. Shit. Wait. Fuck.

The Star quarterback. Golden Boy. Captain of the team. Current leader of the X-Men.

Scott Summers.


	9. Busted

It had been a short drive back to the school. To Jubilee, it was always the time between destinations she enjoyed the most when traveling - but the trip back home was always the shortest. She lingered on that thought. Home. Is that what this place was, now?

During the car ride, she had too many questions that Marie would not answer.

"Who's that guy? From the diner."

"Like seriously, who is he?"

"And what's up with his eyes?"

"Does Logan know that guy?"

"Do you think Scott Summers owns bigger shirts?"

But Marie had been silent, letting Jubilation arrive to her own conclusions out loud, gripping the steering wheel of the car with two hands as if she were taking a driving exam, glancing too often at the rearview mirror.

Behind them was a motorbike ridden by Scott Summers.

He followed all the way back, unwilling to trust them to tail him, as they had first offered. It's not like it was a fight to get them out of the diner and agree to return. They'd certainly had enough risk and adventure for one night.

But there he was, tailgating the shit out of their car.

It was one of the few things she hated about him. Unwilling to yield control. Which meant he was bossy as shit. And he was such a favorite among the student body. Primed to be the best the school had to offer.

Yeah. Okay.

So he shoots lasers out of his eyeballs and was born with a strong jawline, what's the big deal.

Though to be fair, their first meeting had been a little rocky.

Logan had partnered them for a friendly spar, testing the waters for Jubilee's eventual immersion with the rest of the class. They did this blind folded - because Logan would want that - and she wound up almost dislocating something in a flying arm-bar.

She thought it was the most impressive thing she had ever done, until she ripped off her blindfold, a victory cry at the tip of her tongue, only to find the entire room evacuated and a writhing Scott Summers beneath her with a hand clamped over his closed, bare eyes while the other was locked between her legs.

Somewhere along her attack she had knocked off the goggles he had strapped on, and basically almost triggered a nuclear event.

She had scrambled out of the hold, looking around for the goggles, found them on the other side of the mat - like honestly holy crap that flying arm bar must have been epic - and sprinted back.

He had shouted for her to get away.

Begged her to find safety.

Called for Professor X.

Called for some guy named Alex.

Called for his mother.

She had to straddle him and sit on his chest to keep him still, but he wouldn't tear his hands from his face, bucking underneath her, a red glow pushing against the pressure he struggled to apply.

She could smell meat burning.

Jubilee rolled off of him and yanked him up to a sitting position, and when he tried to twist away she hugged his back to her chest, wrapping her legs around his waist and locking her ankles.

She tried to call out for help and he would roar over her, warning anyone not to step a foot inside the room.

He wouldn't be able to stop himself.

He wasn't in control.

They would die.

Jubilee recognized a panic attack when she saw one, and for a fleeting moment, pity bloomed in her gut.

But thanks to his shouting she had been left alone with him. Jubilee had thought of Marie's worst days - when she would try to lock herself in the bathroom and cry. And Jubilee wouldn't leave, choosing to sit on the other side of the door - sometimes in silence, listening to her friend's sobs wane to nothing before taking a hairpin to the lock, or chatting endlessly in a one sided conversation until she got Marie laughing.

She remembered what it was like to be alone and in pain.

It wasn't until Logan knelt beside the pair, a firm hand to Scott's shoulder, that the youth actually calmed, mumbling and sobbing.

"She's got you, Slim. If you keep at this you'll destroy your hands. You're not alone. No one abandoned you. She's got you."

Jubilee didn't know if Scott's eyes, without the glasses, caused him pain.

She learned they did.

The screaming started when he tore his hands from his face, and Jubilee ignored the explosion that followed, squinting against blinding red light as she pulled the goggles over his eyes and Logan held down Scott's shoulders.

The screaming didn't stop, even as he sat there, wringing his burnt hands, limp against Jubilee who held him tight, enveloped in darkness because his eyes not only ripped a whole wall out, but pulverized the light fixtures above them.

The screaming was all she could hear when she would look at him after that.

So she understood his need for restraint. Even though he was treated like a fucking bubble boy. And yet he had been trusted with leading the X-Men. He was all too stoic and brimming with the right stuff and Jubilee always found that jock-type annoying. Annoyingly hot.

It hit Jubilee that before the diner she never actually got a good look at him - blindfolds and red lasers and all being a bit of a distraction. Also he was permanently attached to Jean Grey so there was that too.

She never got to apologize for that day. He, of course, never crossed paths with her since.

When they pulled into the garage Marie turned off the engine, but kept her hands on the steering wheel, her eyes never leaving the rear view mirror. Jubilee frowned.

"Why are you nervous?"

"I'm not."

"It's not a traffic stop, Marie, you look like you're about to stick both hands out the window." It was scaring her, if she could be honest. Marie was a lot of things, but this was something new.

Her eyes narrowed, "He hasn't gotten off the bike."

"Maybe he's waiting on us."

Marie shook her head, "His mind has been closed off since we started driving back."

"You can still read minds?"

"This is a poor line of questioning, Jubilation. But yes, some things -"

"Stay with you, right, okay. Then I'll get out." Jubilee touched the door handle.

" _Wait_." The tone Marie had taken was also new, making Jubilee freeze in her seat. It was almost a growl.

"What's going on?" Jubilee hissed. Fight or flight was taking it's familiar hold on her. If they were in more trouble than she had bargained for, she didn't want Marie to get involved.

Without warning a blinding light filled the inside of the car. Both girls screamed. A sound that could only be the roar of a siren filled their ears. She couldn't see - white, almost searing hot light filled her vision. Cold terror washed over her - _Sentinal_! Jubilee's instincts took over and she was already moving, a hand blindly clawing at Marie's door, yanking the handle open and shoving her friend out with the other.

They had to run. They had to go. They had to get the fuck out.

She tumbled out after Marie, dragging them to their feet. They didn't get more than a few steps until something large struck them. Jubilee shouted as she was sent sprawling, Marie's hand still tangled with hers - but now it was limp in her iron grip.

"MARIE?"

As Jubilee scrambled to her hands and knees, something grabbed at her back and -

And then it was dark.


	10. Danger

It was a dream. It had to be.

Jubilee stood in the kitchen of her family home.

The California sun shone through the blinds in the windows that sat above the counter and sink, casting horizontal lines across the small kitchen island and tile floor.

Her bare feet padded across that floor, feeling the familiar coolness that was welcome during the hotter summer days. It was early morning, by the way the house smelled of coffee and eggs and bacon.

Jubilee opened the fridge, pouring herself a glass of juice.

"Jubilation."

Her shoulders sagged at the sound of her mother's voice.

Sharp, quick Cantonese followed.

 _*Close the fridge, you'll let all the cold air out.*_

"Ma," Jubilee sighed, doing as she was told and turning. Her mother stood at the sink, washing dishes.

She was a slender woman, but Jubilee knew her own grace came from the former ballet dancer. One of three children to immigrant parents. The lines of age hadn't set in yet, but she still looked tired. Hospital hours did little to help. Jubilee couldn't hide the small smile as her mother cast wary eyes on her.

"When did you get in?"

"Just a little while ago. Eat your breakfast."

Jubilee sat at the island, pulling a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast to her. Her mother only made this on the mornings she had off. It was a treat to Jubilee, who spent most of her childhood eating traditional Chinese breakfasts - all of which consisted of variations of rice.

"Practice today?"

Jubilee looked up to see her father seated next to her, reading the paper - another morning ritual. He looked older than he was, but that was years of working under the sun on cargo ships, his skin almost brown and weathered. A copy of the local Chinese news publication sat on the counter, waiting to be opened under a mug of tea and a small plate of toast.

Papa was happy her mother was home too.

"Later," Jubilee replied through a mouthful of eggs. Her mother made a rude noise from the sink.

"Manners, Jubilation."

Jubilee smiled at her father, who winked over the circular frames of his glasses, and shoved half a slice of toast into his mouth and chewed loudly.

"You two are insufferable," her mother grumbled, settling next to Jubilee. She picked diced fruit from a small plate and glowered at her.

These were the best moments with them. A quiet morning over breakfast, murmuring in between bites and sips and laughter.

"Bed for me, I have another shift tonight," her mother announced. She put her plate in the sink and glided to Jubilee in that way she loved, placing a soft kiss to her temple. "Dishes, please."

"Yes, Ma."

Her father shuffled the newspapers into a neat pile, chugging the last of his tea. "I'm heading to the market, then to the docks. Call me if you need a ride home."

"Okay, so definitely hitch-hiking home."

He did pause at that reply, pushing his glasses up his nose, brows raised.

Jubilee held up her hands, "I'll call, I'll call."

His expression softened, and Jubilee mimicked her mother's rude noise as he planted a firm kiss to her temple.

He murmured in Cantonese.

 _*You are my Light, daughter.*_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Wake up, Jubilation."

This was a dream.

"Jubilee."

She wished it wasn't.

"JUBILEE!"

Her eyes opened to a night sky on fire. Hues of red and orange stretched across the darkness above her.

"Ma?"

Marie's face shifted into her vision, streaked with ash and screwed into an expression Jubilee knew was anxiety.

"Is she awake?"

That was Kitty's voice.

"She's not dead," Marie replied, taking Jubilee's hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. The gesture was assuring, as was their way of speaking without words. *I'm here.*

"We have to get moving, can she stand?"

Oh okay so she definitely was knocked back on her ass.

"Rise and shine, honey."

A garbled sound left Jubilee's lips, and she was pulled to a sitting position by her collar. She was keenly aware that she couldn't feel her fingertips.

"Would it be a stupid question to ask if you're okay?"

"I don't know," she croaked, frowning at the sound of her own voice. "What's going on?" She was vaguely aware that she was hot, that the air was thick, that it was getting harder to breathe. She looked down at herself.

"What the fuck am I wearing?"

It was like an armored wetsuit. Thin metal plating was braced to the vulnerable parts of her extremities, as if she were some kind of motorbike rider. Or gladiator. Stealth came to mind as she held up gloved hands and pulled at the high collar.

"Kitty, she isn't quite herself yet, we need a minute," Marie hadn't let go of her hand, fingers finding the pulse of her wrist while the other hand tentatively touched Jubilee's face.

"We can't wait much longer, what's wrong?"

"Jubilee, talk to me, what do you remember?"

"Your hair is tied back," was all she could say. This earned her a lop-sided grin from her friend, but it melted away with a sigh.

"Bless your heart, Jubilation."

Kitty's head appeared out of the wall next to Jubilee. If she wasn't used to it by now, she probably would've screamed.

"Get it together, Jubilee, we're in big trouble."

Jubilee tried to take in their surroundings. It looked like they were in an alley - a dumpster behind her, blocking her view of the street, and ahead of her a car pile-up. She stared at it, wondering how they were stacked so neatly.

"I had to improvise," Marie explained, following Jubilee's gaze.

"Where's the fire?" Jubilee coughed, taking another glance of the night sky.

"Three buildings down," Kitty replied. "It's spreading, fast, so we definitely have to get out of here." Her bottom lip was split and caked with blood. Her hair was out and wild around her face.

"What happened to you?"

"I woke up alone and in some abandoned building. Panic doesn't help with phasing when you try to pass the first wall you see. I fell off the second floor and into a dumpster like this one."

"Nice," Jubilee pulled Kitty out of the wall, noticing she was dressed in the same suit. She eyed the blue band around Kitty's left bicep. She didn't have one. She glanced at Marie. She didn't have one either.

Kitty nodded, pushing her hair back as she settled next to Jubilee. "We can only assume that wherever we are, it's the center of something bad. The fire is pushing us East. I woke up first, found Marie, who then found you."

"Neither of us remember much," Marie explained, "We were hoping you had better luck with that."

Remember? Jubilee could still feel the sun on her skin as she sat in the kitchen of her parent's home, eating breakfast. The way the light -

The light.

The light!

She was on her feet faster than her body was ready to. Vertigo struck her as she stumbled, reaching out almost blindly. Each hand was caught by Kitty and Marie.

"Easy, Jubilee - "

"What is it? What's wrong -"

"SENTINELS."

"We would have come across one by now, Jubilee - "

"No, they took us!"

"Sentinels don't take mutants and leave them in a war zone, Jubilee, we should be in some holding facility -"

"No, I heard them, there was light -"

"Calm down, Jubilee."

Jubilee snatched her hand away from Kitty, growling, "Don't tell me what to do! Who made you captain? I know what I saw I know what I heard, and Scott Summers LET THAT SENTINEL TAKE US -"

Marie seized her by the jaw, pulling her face close to hers. "Look at me, Jubilation -"

"I'm LOOKING -"

"JUBILATION STOP TALKING."

She had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from snapping back.

"Calm, Jubilee. Calm." The iron grip Marie had on her face softened to a caress. "The world is different now. That's what Ororo tells us. We can't be sure right now what this is. Protect each other. That's all we can do right now."

Jubilee nodded, her hand gently taking Marie's.

"Protect each other," Marie repeated, looking at Kitty, who nodded.

"I want us to get out of here. Together. I'm really scared, just like you, just like Marie." Kitty placed a comforting hand on Marie's shoulder. "Trust me. Because right now I trust you. It's just us. And until we're safe we can't fight like idiots." There was no hesitation when Kitty placed her other hand on Jubilee's.

Jubilee took a steadying breath. "Ok. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Marie and Kitty replied in unison. They exchanged shocked expressions.

"I really would appreciate it if you guys stopped syncing like that, it's bad enough our periods are doing it -"

A deafening roar cut off her words - a raging siren that made them scream and clap their hands over their ears. Only one thing could make a sound like that. Kitty's eyes widened in horror and Jubilee gave a shout as she was yanked to her feet with Marie.

With both of them in tow, she sprinted for the brick wall across from them. Jubilee had half the mind to grab onto Kitty. There were only two other times she'd been phased through something solid, and all that ever stuck in Jubilee's mind was Kitty's single, firm, rule.

Never let go.

The wall was there. And then it wasn't. They dashed into an open hallway with cracked floors and flickering florescent lights above. And then it was gone. Then they were scrambling through a theater, sprinting across a sea of empty seats, a dark stage to their far right. Jubilee could feel the ground beneath her feet but had to resist dodging armrests as they moved right through them.

She always had a sensation that the world was neither up or down, but refused to look at was under her - the fear of not seeing anything but darkness always kept her chin up, focused only on the back of Kitty's head. Jubilee would sometimes wonder if Kitty felt the same, and how much control it took to just stay UP - like treading water so you didn't sink and fall through...whatever was down there.

"STOP THINKING SO LOUD!" Marie's voice snapped Jubilee out of her daze and she realized she was dragging them, her footfalls too heavy, losing their pace.

"IT'S FREAKING ME OUT, DUDE!"

"LOOK FORWARD!" Kitty commanded.

They phased through another wall and burst into an open street. Kitty let them go, but the girls still clung tight, disoriented. Jubilee gasped as the heat struck her, and she could feel the thickness of the air again, and the cement under her feet. She staggered, and Kitty snatched her shoulder, keeping her steady.

She shook her off, angry, "I told you! Sentinels!"

"Don't yell at me, how could we miss something that huge!"

"Dude, just believe me when I tell you shit!"

"Where the fuck are we?" Marie groaned.

Jubilee was already assessing. Squat in enough abandoned buildings with a bunch of runaways and delinquents and you learn how to search for quick exits, hiding spots, or a place to stash your shit. The street was part of an intersection, and littered with all kinds of debris. The building across from them looked like it had been shattered by something huge, spilling metal, brick, and foundation onto the street. To their left the intersection led to likely the north, south, and west. Jubilee craned her head back to try and spot a guiding star and -

"Where's the stars?"

Kitty looked up from the pacing she was doing, frowning. "What?"

"Where's the moon?"

Marie looked up. "Shit."

"We're in a city, the lights - " Kitty's words stopped. "Oh...oh no."

Above them, there was no sky. It would be hard for Jubilee to explain to someone who couldn't see it. But they didn't have to really see anything. It was sense of feeling. Of knowing. Or maybe it was the strange glare the darkness above them seemed to have. Like a gloss.

Like a display.

"What the fuck am I looking at?"

Marie sighed, "Have you ever seen 'The Truman Show'?"

Jubilee scowled at her, "Dude, how is it that you still don't know about Powerpuff Girls?"

"Danger."

The girls turned to Kitty, who's face had gone pale.

"No," Marie was shaking her head frantically, "This is different, this isn't like anything we've ever done. There's ALWAYS an objective."

"Danger?"

Kitty pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead, turning away from them. "They have to be crazy to throw us in here together. Not like this. This is so bad."

"It has to be an assessment - team dynamic? Performance under stress?"

"Marie, this is a sink or swim test. It doesn't matter what it's about, it's meant to make us fail."

Marie recoiled, "You're overthinking it - we're nowhere near ready for something like that."

"Overthinking! You are one of the most powerful mutants on campus - don't even try to argue it, Marie, don't. Even without mentioning that if you combined my scores with Jubilee's, we are basically out performing the entire senior class. It's literally not about if we think we're ready - THEY totally do."

"Kitty you don't understand - I've heard rumors about this. It isn't some kind of crazy initiation or hazing or induction into the team - this BREAKS people."

Jubilee stared at them, too confused to begin to panic, too ignorant to be of any help. Whatever this was, Marie was doing that thing with her hands where she clenched and unclenches them, and Kitty was pacing and her voice was cracking at the end of her sentences. This was bad.

She could interject, demand answers. Why is the sky fake? What's a Danger? Who's trying to break us? Is she seriously going to have to drop kick Scott Summers for letting this happen to them? More importantly - who put them in these stupid suits?

Instead, she let them fight. You had to let people do that sometimes so they could figure their shit out. Jubilee turned to make her way to the center of the intersection, thinking this was probably worse than any group project she had been assigned in school, when she noticed it.

A Sentinel.

The last time Jubilee was this close to one, she had actually been clutched in one of it's hands. Hard to see things between giant metal fingers. Standing at the foot of one? She imagined it would be bigger than a Megazord or a Gundamn Flight Suit - but not really. Though, it was big enough that it's two metallic boots straddled the entire intersection, and she had to do that thing where you had to crane your head way, way, way back.

It had no real face, meaning a mouth or a nose or even ears - just enormous eyes that flashed red. They were looking down at her. Jubilee considered that Kitty could do her phasing thing and they would be spared death by literal fire, or that Rogue could jump up and punch it with her weird combined powers. But all she could see, all she could understand, was that instead of attacking, her friends were rushing toward her. It was sweet, really, but they were all about to super die.

Jubilee was aware she processed all of this in a very short period of time - turning, seeing the Sentinel, and the shouting that erupted behind her almost seemed to happen at once. She didn't make time to think about how it managed to literally appear out of thin air, or that it didn't smell of metal and smoke but nothing at all.

What Jubilee did do, was raise a single hand as if it were a loaded gun, hearing Logan's scream, her mother's laughter, and fired.

Protect each other. This was the only real thought Jubilee had as she ignited the air between her and the towering, metal monstrosity. That, and the idea of investing in a pair of really good sunglasses. Or a welding mask. Because in an instant her world became blinding, white, light. Different from the one that had flooded the garage back at school - alien, artificial, cold.

This light burned. And with its heat there was a sense of swelling energy, power, that Jubilee had not felt before. The sparks in her hands she could sense - jumping bursts that popped and danced along the palms of her hands. _*This*_ roared with life.

She knew the hands that grabbed at her, pulling her back, and Jubilee had the presence of mind to let her feet propel her with them. What she wasn't ready for, was the sensation of * _falling_ *. As quickly as the world around her had come ablaze with light, it plunged into darkness. They hit water, Jubilee stumbling backwards and shouting as it came up to her waist, her nose filling with the stench of shit.

Hands kept pulling at her, dragging now, and she was yanked up and out of that water. Familiar voices rang out, echoing in the darkness they were in.

"I can't see!"

"It's fine, it's fine, Marie, IT'S FINE."

Jubilee had fallen to a knee, struggling to catch her breath, and could only manage to gag as her lungs filled with the most ungodly stench. Wet fingers brushed against her cheek and she snatched them with her own, pulling a thrashing Marie against her. Somewhere Kitty's arm was caught between them, and the three girls were clinging to each other in the dark.

Marie was sobbing. Jubilee tried to breathe in the scent of her, pressing her nose to Marie's neck. Her other hand gripped Kitty's. She was trembling in Jubilee's grasp.

"We're together," she croaked.

Kitty was trying to steady her own breath, but they came in ragged gasps. Marie only tightened her arms around Jubilee, pulling Kitty tight against them.

"I phased us through the street," Kitty gasped, "We're in the sewer. I didn't know what else to do I didn't know what else to do -"

Well that at least explains the smell. "Thank you, thank you," Jubilee replied.

"I froze," Marie finally choked out. Her hands found Jubilee's face in the dark, who didn't care that they smelled like they were dipped in a dirty toilet. "I saw it and I saw you and I should've -"

"I know. But you didn't have to. You got a free light show and Kitty got us out," Jubilee loosened her hold on the two girls. "But we gotta get the fuck out of here, I'm over it."

Kitty almost sagged against her back, groaning. She sounded exhausted, and Jubilee wondered if phasing other people did something to her. "Seriously, what were they thinking doing this to us?"

"Later, let's just get out of this actual shithole." They rose to their feet together, hands finding hands.

While it seemed like they were drowning in darkness, Jubilee's eyes had only been in shock from the light above them. Slowly, they had adjusted, and she could see that they were in a tunnel, very much a sewer, and they were standing on a platform that ran along a wall they had pressed against. What was a high ceiling, which was the street above them, offered broken, dim light from water drains. The sewer almost mimicked the intersection above them, and their tunnel was really four different passageways.

"Well, we could find a run off somewhere, maybe leading to an ocean or some other kind of outlet?"

She felt eyes on her, and Jubilee shrugged, "I've been in sewers before."

Kitty looked around, and finally pointed in a direction. "We can keep heading that way, the fire is to our left, and the Sentinel -"

"Wait why isn't it moving?"

"What do you mean?"

Marie was shaking her head, "It should be stomping around up there."

Jubilee thought of the fake sky and how the robot had simply appeared. "It might not have really been there?"

Kitty nodded, "If this is what we think, then some of it isn't real. None of this is real, actually.

Jubilee disagreed, "Sorry, dude, but that fire felt real, this shit water is real, and whatever is happening we should treat it like it's real."

"Well, can't get much worse than this," Marie sighed, pulling them towards the corner ahead.

"Oh, are we experimenting with famous last words?"

"Jubilee, think you could give us some light?"

"Maybe," Jubilee had never managed a spark with wet hands. "Marie, think you got enough juice left to try?" She felt Kitty's hand move to her bicep as their hands untangled, her fingers snapping to no avail.

"Are you snapping?"

"Trying to," Jubilee grunted.

"...I don't know how."

Jubilee started, "You can do a perfect standing back tuck after touching my face but you don't know how to snap?"

"Oh hush then let me try," Marie grumbled as they turned the first corner.

Jubilee felt the energy pulse in her hand, but her damn fingertips refused to -

The sewer was abruptly illuminated.

"You did it, Marie!" Kitty cheered over Jubilee's shoulder.

She felt Marie come to a halt, and Jubilee stopped herself and Kitty dead in their tracks, tensing as her hand in the girl's grip became painfully tight.

"Marie -"

"Oh look, I found rats in the sewer."

Jubilee's upper lip curled into a snarl, looking past Marie at the true source of light.

Boom Boom held up a glowing fist, sneering back at her. "Hey, bitches."


End file.
